


Rogue Spy: the True Family Dinner

by Crumby



Series: Alternate Rogue Spy [2]
Category: Chuck (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Crack, Ambiguous Relationships, Body Shots, Drinking Games, F/F, F/M, Fireworks, Food Fight, Gen, Humor, Innuendo, Jell-O shots, Parody, Party, Pillow Fight, Sarah's confused, Sex on the Beach, heat wave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-05
Updated: 2012-12-05
Packaged: 2017-11-18 00:23:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/554847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crumby/pseuds/Crumby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sarah couldn't remember whose idea this dinner had been in the first place, but as the fateful day approached, she'd grown more and more anxious about it. It just felt so hazardous to risk everything they'd been working towards for the last four months. Sarah couldn't remember a happier time in her life. And it could all crumble tonight. - Sequel to "Rogue Spy: the True Story."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my incredible beta, [mxpw](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mxpw999).

– _**05:37 PM**_

Sarah put the showerhead back up in contentment, and buried her face under a stream of tepid water.

Her version of happy shower time rarely involved Sarah alone these days, but today, she knew she needed it. What better way to relax before dinner? And since there would be no sneaking away before everyone would get here—or during the evening, probably, as it'd be too chancy—she wouldn't get to really _relax_ until later that night.

Sarah couldn't remember whose idea this dinner had been in the first place. Though, if she had to guess, Sarah would put her money on one of the Bartowskis, if not both, since being social butterflies seemed to be part of their DNA. Everybody had backed-up the idea, of course, inasmuch as the Bartowskis surrounded themselves with friendly and sociable people, or made people that weren't friendly and sociable want to be. Even Casey had thought it a good idea, i.e. he had made a "Why the heck not? I don't have anything else to do, and you're kind of okay people" grunting sound. In any case, as the fateful day approached, Sarah had grown more and more anxious about it. Truthfully, they all had. Today had been the worst. It just felt so hazardous to risk everything they'd been working towards for the last four months. They were all in a great place now. Chuck, Devon, Ellie, and Sarah had found balance. Sarah couldn't remember a happier time in her life. And it could all crumble tonight.

She washed off one last time, before stepping out of the cubicle and drying herself.

Carina and Zondra would be arriving any minute now.

Sarah walked down the hallway in her towel, and entered her bedroom. She skirted the bed to get to her side, where she had spread out the outfit she'd selected to wear for the big occasion. She had thought hard about it—one of the several preventive measures she had taken. Even if this gathering felt like tempting fate, putting on her jeans and boring conservative blue top reminded Sarah that she was prepared. She could do this.

It reminded her, as well, how utterly wrong it was to conceal her body under a copious amount of fabric. Not only was it simply a shame to confine such beauty (and work, it didn't all happen by miracle), but it also made her uncomfortable—ensnared, bound, imprisoned. She cursed this shindig one more time at the thought. Things would be awkward enough as they were, and she had to also sacrifice part of her well-being.

A knock on the window caused her to whirl around in alarm. The blinds weren't closed. She usually left them open on purpose, but Ellie was probably finishing cooking at this hour. The appreciative smirk on Zondra's face let Sarah know immediately that it had been Sarah's first mistake of the night. Sighing, she knew others were inevitably coming.

A family dinner could only be a synonym for trouble.

– _**05:54 PM**_

"Hey, girl," Zondra said. She gave Sarah a hug—which Sarah had to shake off when it lasted too long—before walking inside the apartment, brushing against Sarah like she was wont to do. Zondra was still wearing the same perfume, Sarah noticed.

"Hi," she replied. Sarah tried not to let herself get distracted, and turned to her other guest. It worked. She was grounded by an unreadable stare. "Carina."

The redhead nodded tersely in response. "Sarah."

"Oh, c'mon," Zondra said, while she put the two helmets she had in hand on the table, "you two seriously need to kiss and make out." Zondra took off her cute leather jacket—the same Sarah remembered from Casey's safe house. It didn't reveal a black tank top this time, it was white, but the cleavage was as prominent as it always was, and Sarah could see a dark bra through the shirt, but couldn't be sure of its color.

Sarah shook herself inwardly so she could muster a glare at Zondra, and she stepped off to the side in invitation for Carina to come in.

Zondra's smile didn't waver. "I don't mind watching," she added. "Of course, the three of us—"

"We get it," Sarah cut her off. She closed the door. "Can I take that?" Carina unceremoniously passed Sarah the cloche lid-covered tray she'd been holding. It mustn't have been practical to carry it out on the bike. For that matter, Carina's dress wasn't the most appropriate attire for biking, being so short and fitting, and all, though it must have made for an interesting view. "What is it?"

Carina ignored Sarah's question so completely, one might wonder if she had even heard it. The redhead placed her purse on the table near the door. Sarah didn't acknowledge Carina's cold shoulder, and turned to Zondra instead.

"It's a surprise," the CAT said, "we brought dessert." Sarah suppressed a groan. "Don't look!" _Easier said than done_ , Sarah thought. "Just put it in the fridge."

Sarah did so without arguing. She'd have to choose her battles tonight. "Ellie should be here soon, but Chuck won't be here before six forty-five, and everybody else is running late. Sorry."

"What's the nerd doing?" Zondra asked.

"His name's Chuck."

"Right," Zondra said. She didn't care. "What's Chuck doing?"

"He's at work," Carina said, and Sarah fought down some annoyance. "I told you he'd be late."

"I'm sure," Zondra replied, "that we can find something to do to occupy ourselves."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "How about a drink?" Spotting Carina eyeing the apartment closely, she asked, "Something wrong?"

Carina deposited another blank stare on her. "Just admiring what you did with the place."

Sarah kept herself from sighing. Had she not taken the time to shower properly, she'd already be tense at the prospect of constantly juggling Carina's animosity and Zondra's flirting. "We rearranged a bit since it's been just the two of us," she confirmed, giving Carina an even look and keeping her voice neutral—as if she wasn't talking to an ex, but simply having a light conversation with a friend.

"I like it," Zondra lied. Sarah knew she thought it was lame. "And sex on the beach."

"Ex—excuse me?" Sarah said. Her voice sounded a lot higher than she wished.

"To drink," Zondra said, amused. "But, if—"

"Right," Sarah cut her off again. She harrumphed, and moved behind the bar to get started on the cocktails. "Carina?"

Unexpectedly, Carina's stare switched to something much more amicable. "Sex on the Beach is certainly good," she said, once she and Zondra were seated at the bar. "We've had plenty in Belize."

Sarah froze for an all too long second. "Oh," she said, dropping her eyes back to the drink. She needed to keep her mind clear—clear of the images Carina and Zondra's comments were sure to generate. "I thought you were coming back from a mission."

"Yeah, in Costa Rica," Zondra said. "We stopped in Belize afterwards. To relax."

"Chuck didn't tell you?" Carina asked, all but innocently.

Sarah knew what Carina was doing: throwing her relationship with Chuck in Sarah's face. She wouldn't let it get to her; she'd promised herself. "No," she said. "He just told me you two were in Central America. I just assumed it was for a mission." She placed a glass in front of Carina, and offered her warmest smile. "I'm glad to hear you had fun."

"Fun?" Zondra laughed. "You make it sound like tic-tac-toe." The game wasn't as banal as Zondra seemed to imply, but Sarah really didn't need to tell her that. Ever. Zondra proved Sarah right when she reached over to take the second glass Sarah had prepared, adding, "Belize was rapturous," and it took Sarah a moment far longer than it should have to realize that Zondra's fingers were lingering against hers. Sarah hurriedly retracted her hand. "A shame you couldn't join, really."

"I'm sure," Sarah said, without thinking. It was true, but…

"You do _love_ that kind of setting," Carina said. "The beaches, the cocktails…" Sarah looked up from the mojito she was now making for herself. Did Carina know something? She didn't look accusing. To Sarah's surprise, she looked reminiscing. Carina was smiling, even. "Like Gainsbourg sung: sea, sex, and sun."

Sarah chuckled at the memory of that summer the CAT Squad had spent in the south of France. The song of the French singer had been an appropriate vacation soundtrack. Her eyes caught Carina's, before dropping to her mouth without her consent. Carina was playing with the slice of lemon from her cocktail. Why did she always have to do that?

The bell literally saved Sarah. _Thank God._ She rushed to the door, all the while trying to clear the fog that had invaded her mind. She needn't worry, because it all dissipated instantly when she opened the door.

Ellie's eyes lit up—in that way only Bartowskis' eyes did—as soon as she saw Sarah. "Hi."

Sarah grinned. "Ellie! You're _right_ on time."

– _**06:24 PM**_

Sarah shook her head. She should probably prepare a pitcher and save herself some time; Carina and Zondra were already on their third glasses. Which reminded Sarah that she'd let them out of her sight for far too long. She looked up from behind the kitchen bar to the living room, where her ex-CAT Squad partners were discussing with Ellie.

For a minute, Sarah almost believed that this soirée might have been a good idea, after all. The three women were the image of normality—chatting, laughing, seemingly catching up, just like friends would. At least, Sarah imagined normality would look that way. A simple flicker from Carina's eyes down Ellie's (quite enjoyable) cleavage, however, reminded Sarah that her friends were…different.

She couldn't really blame them. Ellie was being her adorable self, in the cute, little green dress they had found the week before on their regular shopping (s)escapades. Come to think of it, it wasn't the outfit they'd agreed on during their preparations. Not that she didn't love the dress, because she did—the hue reminded her of memories from Costa Gravas and a similarly colored (and now unfortunately ripped) bikini—but damn it, Carina and Zondra didn't need any incentive.

There wasn't any reason for Sarah to be worried, really. Ellie had never strayed. Never would. Be that as it may, Sarah couldn't help the uneasy feelings at Carina sitting so close to Ellie. She chastised herself for it, but when it came to Carina and the Bartowskis, Sarah knew she'd always feel that way, feel as though it was dangerous to leave them with Carina without surveillance.

Sarah sighed. Jealousy: she still wasn't used to the idea—or rather, the idea that she, Sarah Walker, could get jealous. She'd never blamed and mocked Carina for her own jealousy, even if it'd been a little excessive at times, but Sarah had often thought herself above it. She'd always fought it every step of the way, never acknowledging it. She was presently well past denial. That's what the Bartowskis did to her. It thankfully came with other, more pleasant things, too.

When Ellie and Sarah had decided to come back to Burbank four months ago, they had done it separately, in order not to raise any suspicions about what they'd been up to in Costa Gravas. Both of them had a different cover story, and no intention to reveal their relationship to anybody. It was their secret—their still on-going secret.

Ellie had come back first—her departure had been less complicated. It hadn't involved faking her death, if nothing else. The short version Ellie had given was that, following Sarah's death, Ellie had discovered the truth about Chuck's spy life, his lies, Devon's lies, and she'd…snapped. She'd left, to think. She'd rapidly realized her mistake, and had eventually summoned the courage to return, because Ellie'd known: She simply didn't want to live without her husband and her little brother. That much was true.

Carina and Chuck had already broken up at the time. After tracking down the people responsible for Sarah's frame-job and supposed death—ending with Carina's ruthless murder of Daniel Shaw—Carina and Chuck had eventually realized that what had united them had been their loss of Sarah. Once the Ring was dismantled and the man behind Sarah's demise was dead (very dead, according to the pictures in the reports), it became clear to them that they shouldn't have ever been together in the first place. Carina and Chuck had stayed great friends, but that was all they were now.

Sarah gulped down her mojito. She winced, not at the alcohol, but because at this rate, she'd definitely need pitchers tonight.

That was one preventive measure out the window.

Indeed, the trouble was that the situation had become even more unsettling when Carina and Ellie had become great friends as well, during the time Ellie had stayed with her brother, while trying to patch things up with Devon.

A tap on the door brought Sarah back from her thoughts—and her mojito. Devon's head peered through the doorway. "Hey, guys!" he greeted with a shining smile. "Babe, you forgot the appetizers."

"Oh," Ellie said, "right. Sorry."

Ellie avoided glancing at her, but Sarah smiled knowingly nonetheless: Ellie had been in a hurry to get here. Carina rose to her feet to greet Devon and introduce Zondra. They settled back on the couch, with cocktails and appetizers.

"Are you going to spend the night here?" Zondra asked, approaching the bar. Her eyes traveled across the kitchen pensively. "I can work with that. It wouldn't be the first time we got ourselves a few bruises."

Sarah tried to glare at her again. She really did, but Zondra was grinning at her, and—and what was with her perfume? It had to be some kind of aphrodisiac or something.

Zondra joined Sarah behind the counter, and said, "I see you haven't forgotten the universally acknowledged truth: Nothing gets done without alcohol."

Sarah stiffened, and she forced a casual laugh. Zondra fed on apprehension; she just loved it.

The CAT jerked her head in the direction of Devon. "He's hot—"

"No," Sarah said. She was glad for the change of conversation.

"He _isn't_ hot?" Zondra replied with a laugh.

"He's married."

"Marriage doesn't cancel hotness," Zondra said, and eyed Devon more closely. "Clearly. So, you've never tapped that?" The question was asked as though it was the saddest thing on the planet. "Shame. I'd—"

"He's happily married," Sarah said, and took a sip of mojito. It was so hot all of a sudden. She hadn't checked the weather channel, but a maybe a heat wave was in the air.

"If you say so." Zondra took the pitcher Sarah handed her. "At least, _you_ 're not married," she added with a wink. "Think you can handle that many people at once?"

The mojito went down the wrong pipe, and Sarah coughed. How could she still be surprised like an amateur?

Zondra laughed, leaving for the living room, and Ellie arrived.

"About time!" Sarah said through clenched teeth. "We talked about this! We agreed you wouldn't leave me alone with her!"

Ellie laughed. "That bad, huh?" She let her shoulder rub against Sarah's as she helped her with a second pitcher.

It felt heavenly, even if it also reminded Sarah that they hadn't seen each other for almost two days—yesterday didn't count, it'd been way too short. Sarah exhaled slowly at the sensation, both appeasing and yearning. "No," Sarah half-lied. She didn't want to be with Zondra—Sarah was content in that department these days—but it was still _Zondra_ ; it'd always been such a challenge to even think of saying no. "But that was part of the deal: no leaving me alone with Zondra."

"I know, I know," Ellie replied. "You seemed to be doing fine, though, and I did come eventually."

"You sure did," Sarah teased, before asking, "If you're so Zen about it, what happened with the appetizers?"

Ellie's moistened her lips slightly, as if she didn't want to admit she was worried about Sarah and her two guests. Her cheeks had reddened at Sarah's joke, and Sarah couldn't help but laugh at her adorableness.

"Morgan just texted me," Devon's voice interrupted. Ellie and Sarah jolted, and Sarah cursed herself. They couldn't afford to get carried away at any time; even less so in the presence of the CATs. "They're on the way. He says to start the barbecue. I'll get Casey to help me out."

"I'll get him!" Carina said.

Devon traded a look with his wife, who shrugged.

Zondra smirked, and went to Devon as they watched Carina head out the door. "I'd be happy to give you a hand," Zondra told him, " _Captain_. It _is_ Captain Awesome, isn't it?"

At that, Devon's eyes widened and he looked at his wife again.

Ellie appeared a lot less Zen for a second, before breathing deeply and covering it with a smile.

– _**06:42 PM**_

"Babe!" Devon shrilled, when he spotted Ellie and Sarah stepping out. He cleared his throat, and sidled next to Ellie, placing his wife between Zondra and himself. "Should we go get Casey? What's taking Carina so long?"

Sarah glanced towards Casey's apartment. "I'm not going in there."

Steps outside the apartment complex' entrance resonated on the pavement. "Hey guys!" Morgan's voice said. He and Alex appeared, walking hand in hand. Morgan cast an eye at Casey's door wearily, then across the courtyard, and his shoulders relaxed. His eyes immediately grew rounder as he _really_ noticed Zondra.

"It's nice to meet you," Morgan said once introductions had been made. "Putting a body—face! Putting a face on Carina's tales."

"Oh," Zondra said, increasing the gusto of her smile, "she's talked about me, then?"

"Well, I mean," Morgan scratched his beard, "we kept in touch." Alex's eyes narrowed. "A little," Morgan amended. "I mean, she was my best friend's…" Probably sensing that he was digging himself into a hole the more he went on, he changed the subject, "Speaking of, where is Carina?"

"She's fetching your dad, Alex," Sarah replied. It probably wouldn't stop Zondra if she decided to go after Casey, but it was worth a try to mention it.

Alex shook her head. "I could use a drink," she told Sarah.

Sarah gave her an understanding smile—Carina and Zondra would probably make Alex's evening interesting as well—and led her and Morgan into the living room.

"I could have some more Sex on the Beach, myself," Sarah heard Zondra say. "How about you, Captain?" Devon coughed again. "Ellie?"

Sarah looked over her shoulder to see Ellie grinning back at Zondra, amused. She said something that Sarah couldn't make out, and which made Zondra laugh, before the three of them moved to refill their glasses. Sarah would have made a mental note to keep an eye on Ellie and Zondra, but it wasn't as if she had to force herself to be aware of them.

"I was just surprised, that's all," Morgan was whispering to Alex when Sarah turned her attention back to them. "I didn't even notice she was pretty before _you_ mentioned it."

Alex rolled her eyes.

– _**07:04 PM**_

A grunt marked Casey's arrival. He nodded to each person in the room as he walked to awkwardly hug his daughter, even letting slip a stiff curling of his lips—one of Casey's versions of a smile.

Carina appeared behind him, and offered his daughter her hand. "You must be, Alex." She beamed and slid her other hand playfully through her hair, balancing them over her shoulder. Carina probably wanted to see if she could complete her father-daughter set.

Casey growled.

Alex shook Carina's hand, but she didn't return the smile. "Hello."

"I've heard so much about you," Carina started, enthusiastically.

"Yes," Alex said in a no-nonsense tone. "I did too." A line appeared between Carina's brows. "So much."

Casey smirked at Carina.

"Here he is!" Ellie said as Chuck, a bag of groceries in his arms, passed through the door left opened by Carina and Casey.

Chuck walked to hug his sister, and waved at Alex and Zondra. On the way to the kitchen, he fist-bumped Devon and Morgan, who had retreated to the table, away from the women. Then, finally, Chuck kissed his girlfriend.

Sarah grabbed his collar, a little bit more forcefully than she usually did, in order to let her lips linger on Chuck's longer than he had intended. She could use the relaxation. "Hi," Sarah said afterwards. "You're late."

"Sorry. Jeff and Lester." It was all Chuck needed to say. Sarah didn't care to hear about what the Nerd Herders' latest creepy attempt to waste everybody's time was. "Also, I stopped at Casey's when I heard screams." Chuck placed the grocery bag on a counter. "I'll go change. Everything okay, here?"

"For now," Sarah said, and she sighed dramatically.

Chuck laughed. How the Bartowskis seemed to be so calm about this evening was beyond Sarah. Did they not realize who their guests were? "It's gonna be fine," he said and wrapped his arms around her.

When it had been Sarah's turn to come back to Burbank, things hadn't gone as smoothly for her as they had for Ellie—not that it hadn't been understandable why not: Sarah had disappeared without explanation, she'd let everybody think she was dead, and Chuck had found out the truth about her other relationships. It'd been bound to be a little tense between them.

Her cover story hadn't been that far off from Ellie's. After her coma, Sarah had been emotionally shaken, physically exhausted, and so very tired of hiding from and fighting the Ring, as well as risking the lives of the people she cared about. So, she had left; and to protect everyone, faked her death. Ring problem solved.

To be fair, it actually was a sound explanation. Chuck had been so relieved to see her again; that she was alive, standing on his doorstep. He'd hugged her so strongly, Sarah had felt as though she could still experience the embrace days after it had happened, that it had been imprinted on her body. He'd been glad, he told her and showed her so, but he hadn't forgotten what Sarah had done. The "You didn't tell me. You let me think you were dead, and you didn't tell me" reaction and anger had settled; not to mention the awkward "You've been seeing Carina all along. _Carina!_ "

Sarah hadn't tried to shy away from her actions. If Ellie and Sarah were to pull off their plan, Sarah needed to be as honest with Chuck as she could. She'd told him how confused she'd been in the months that had preceded her disappearance, how things hadn't been right with Carina either, how she'd eventually chosen him after her encounter with Zondra—too late. Sydney Prince had tried to blow her up, then. Sarah had been patient, she'd come back for him.

And one day, she had witnessed the shift happening before her eyes. One minute Chuck was grumbling, and suddenly he was…nervous. Still wary, not certain that he should take a leap of faith, but oh-so-willing to. Sarah had decided to tell him how much she loved him, then; decided to _show_ him how much she loved him; decided that it was time to let Chuck _in_.

Literally. They had sex for the first time that night.

Since then, Chuck and Sarah had been enjoying happy days. Ellie and Devon were enjoying happy days. Ellie and Sarah were secretly enjoying happy days. Everybody was happy…until tonight.

"How are things with Carina?" Chuck asked.

Sarah inhaled slowly, taking in Chuck's smell and warmth. "It was a little overwrought when she arrived," she said distractingly. She wondered if anybody would notice if she slipped out to help Chuck out with his clothes. "But it seems to be fine now."

Chuck waited for Sarah to stop playing with his grey tie and look up at him, before asking, "Do you want me to talk to her?"

Sarah moved out of his embrace to empty the bag of groceries. She didn't mind that Carina and Chuck had been some kind of item. She'd been glad, even, that they had found each other when they had. Now that Sarah was back, though, and that Carina and Chuck were _friends_ , it changed things.

"I don't mean to interfere," Chuck said defensively. "I just mean that Carina's my friend—"

Sarah interrupted him when she found a bottle of gin in the paper bag. "What's that?"

"The gin you needed," Chuck said in an obvious manner. "Carina texted me that you forgot…" Chuck trailed off at Sarah's stare. "You didn't need gin."

Perception was Chuck's strong suit.

Chuck winced. "See? That's what I mean. Carina's my friend, and it's normal to expect that she behaves civilly with my girlfriend when she's a guest in our home."

"And I can handle it," Sarah replied, shoving the bottle at Chuck's chest.

It wasn't that big of a deal, really, although it _was_ annoying to have been played by Carina that way. The real concern was that "no gin" had been one of Sarah's preventive measures. Ellie didn't handle gin well—or at all. Sarah remembered how _loaded_ Ellie had been the night she'd showed Sarah just how gin affected her. Was it a simple coincidence, or did Carina know about Ellie's weakness? Was Carina onto them?

"Aw, c'mon," Chuck said. He randomly thrust the gin bottle into a cabinet. "It was well played." He chuckled. "You've got to give her that."

Sarah rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not sure Carina's the one to be worried about anyway."

"Zondra?" Chuck asked. His eyes scanned the room in search of the agent. "Where'd she go?"

Ellie, in conversation with Alex, Carina, and Morgan, threw a meaningful look Sarah's way. "I think she went back outside with Awesome and Casey," Sarah said. "I better go give them the plate of meat."

Chuck stopped Sarah to give her another kiss. "This dinner will be fun, you'll see. Good food, good booze, and good company, c'mon! What can happen?"


	2. Part II

– _**08:14 PM**_

"What happened?!" Chuck said.

Zondra, who was skillfully pretending to sponge Devon's polo with a napkin, said, "I'm clumsy." She gave Chuck an innocent smirk. He grimaced something of a scowl in response, in spite of his perceptible amusement. "I'm so sorry, Captain."

"It's, um…" Devon broke off. His voice was starting to be hoarse by dint of clearing his throat. "It's okay." He tried to evade Zondra's paws (it felt as though she had more than two hands in moments like these; she was so fast, and agile, and—Sarah waved the images away). "Really."

"Yeah," Ellie said. "We live next door."

Devon stood up abruptly. "Right," he shrieked. Knowing what Zondra was like, one of her hands must have slipped someplace it shouldn't have. Cutlery flew off the table. "I should," Devon wrestled, trying not to take the tablecloth with him, "I should go change."

It took Devon another handful of seconds to completely extricate himself, but he managed with much more grace than many had before him. _Good for you, Devon._

"Men," Carina told Alex, leaning closer as though she was sharing a secret, but speaking loud enough for all guests to hear, "am I right?"

Casey growled.

Alex gave Carina an unimpressed smile.

– _**08:32 PM**_

Sarah heard Alex and Carina's voices by the window. Were they…giggling? She followed the sound outside. Casey's door was wide open. Chatter escaped through it.

Chuck and Devon exited the apartment, beer in hands. Sarah narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend, who gave her a smile, shrugged, and followed Devon to the barbecue to take care of the cooking of the second set of meat.

Damn Chuck and his distracting ways! He had her around his finger. Sarah preferred the instances where it was literal.

Sarah set foot in her neighbor's place. Carina was closing the fridge, but Sarah had time to get a good view of its contents. It was full of beer, and a few other bottles Sarah didn't want to think about for now.

Casey spotted Sarah, and at her disapproving look, he shrugged just like Chuck had—except without the hot smile, and it was completely unapologetic. "Chill out, Walker, it's just beer."

"It _starts_ with beer," Sarah said.

"Hey, I didn't organize this dinner."

Sarah sighed. "I thought we agreed to keep it low on the alcohol." Preventive measure number three.

Granted, it was said that no plan survived first contact with the enemy. It wasn't always true in Sarah's professional experience, but she suspected it was because she was damn good at her job—the best. A good ratio of her missions had gone perfectly according to plan. Not a lot of these missions involved Chuck Bartowski, but that was his own personal gift. Just like, in Sarah's _personal_ experience, and more specifically in her CAT Squad experience, the saying was definitely true. Her preventive measures wouldn't stop Carina and Zondra's offensives, but it might slow them down, distract them, and give Sarah time to plan her own defensive measures.

"It seems," Casey said, "that you only agreed with yourself, Walker, because Grimes was the one packing my fridge. With Bartowski and the Captain."

The Captain? Seriously? Sarah studied Casey. Was he drunk already? He didn't look it.

"Bartowski's been rubbing off on me," Casey said. "There's only so much geek talk one can take before it gets to you."

"Whatever. Unbelievable," Sarah said, even though she had no difficulty whatsoever to believe Chuck, Devon, and Morgan had counteracted her measures.

"It'll be fine," Casey told her. "You're doing fine."

Sarah gave him a terse nod, which Casey returned. It was their thing.

Then, Casey added, "Besides, it's only beer."

– _**09:23 PM**_

"Hey, nerdy boy!" Zondra said when she saw Chuck pouring wine around the table. "Casey's glass's empty!"

When it became clear that he'd been mistaken—it was in no way "only beer"—Casey had tried and taken refuge by sitting next to Sarah. It _had_ amused her—Casey hiding?—but she understood. She understood very well as she grabbed her own glass to avoid a refill.

Unfortunately for Casey—and in spite of Sarah's multiple attempts at protecting his glass from Sex on the Beach cocktails, mojitos, white wine, Johnnie Walker (Sarah didn't know how it arrived at the dinner table, but she knew there were many things she wouldn't explain tonight), _red_ wine, and of course, beer—the party had gotten to him.

He was reaching out for beverages to get through the night at first, because Carina was being a handful (Surprise!), but now... Now, he was reaching out for beverages because he was clearly _buzzed_.

Casey extended his glass to Chuck.

– _**09:39 PM**_

"Do you want some sauce, Casey?" Carina asked. "Your plate looks dry."

"You wouldn't know anything about that," Casey muttered.

Carina had heard him fine, just like Alex had across the table, so she asked, "What's that?"

"I'm good," Casey said. "Thanks."

– _**09:47 PM**_

Zondra sat down on the chair next to Sarah. "Woo, this stuff is good!"

Sarah had no idea what "this stuff" was, and to be honest, she was a little afraid to ask. She gave Zondra a noncommittal nod.

Since her return, the two friends had only met once, when Sarah had gone to see Zondra unannounced. That way Sarah had been able to choose the setting, and they had simply had coffee on the terrace of a very crowded café.

Zondra had invited Sarah to talk first and explain what she was doing there, what she wanted, all while making it sound dirty, of course. Zondra had a reputation to maintain, after all, although Sarah knew her well enough to see that the brunette's heart hadn't been in it—a rare occurrence, to say the least. So, Sarah had simply apologized for rejecting Zondra back in December and explained herself, as well as the vanishing act she had pulled a few weeks later. Sarah and Zondra had been on odd terms for years because of Amy's betrayal, and things had worked out to give them a second chance to be friends again, even if it wasn't as the same kind of friends as before. Sarah had wanted to take that chance.

Zondra laughed. "You're awfully sedate. You should _relax_."

Before Zondra could offer to help her relax, Sarah asked, dodging, "You're having fun, then?"

Zondra had accepted Sarah's apology immediately when they had met. Sarah suspected Zondra's ego had taken a hit from their encounter at Casey's safe house, but she'd recovered. She hadn't dwelled on what Casey fondly called lady feelings. The brunette had simply said she was glad Sarah was alive and well.

Though, she had joked that Sarah _would_ break again before Zondra's irresistible charm, and that she might as well accept it right away. Sarah had laughed and accepted the challenge. Deep down, it did worry her, but she couldn't let that show. Sarah was only human. And it was Zondra.

"Always," Zondra replied. She licked her lips. "You, on the other hand, don't look—"

"I'm great," Sarah said.

Casey came back from the bathroom and all but sat down on Zondra's lap, before noting that the CAT had taken his seat.

He growled, let his eyes skim the table, settled down at a free seat, and extended his glass in front of him for anybody to replenish it.

Carina and Zondra didn't believe in spending an entire meal at the same spot around the table. Every time someone moved, they did too; and if too much time passed before a new game of musical chairs occurred, they managed to squeeze somewhere—sneaky as they were—or switch places. It didn't help that they were both present. Containing one CAT was plausible, two was foolish.

Damage control was their only hope.

– _**09:59 PM**_

"Maybe you should baste Walker's burger, so that these two stop trying to eat it."

"Oh, shut up, Casey!"

– _**10:05 PM**_

"Thank you," Casey said, as politely as the alcohol allowed.

Sarah felt her eyebrows furrow.

What was that, a smile? Was Casey hitting on Ellie? _Her_ Ellie?

And—was Ellie smiling back? What the heck was going on?

– _**10:14 PM**_

"What?!" Ellie exclaimed. At least, Sarah thought that was what she had said. It wasn't easy to comprehend her chewed words through the laughs.

Casey jerked his head in confirmation. He was inappropriately moving closer with every word. "Ask Walker," Sarah heard.

To an untrained eye, it was likely impossible to notice the shift in Ellie's mien. She'd clearly reacted at the mention of Sarah, though.

"Yeah, Sarah," Carina said. "Tell them."

"Sarah has plenty of experience on the matter," Zondra said in confirmation.

Morgan, seemingly ignorant of what was implied, said, "Chuck, you stud!" He tapped his best friend's shoulder amicably.

Chuck didn't blush as much as he used to anymore—time with Carina had seen to that—but he did blush at that moment. Whether it was of embarrassment over Sarah's old activities, or because it was spoken of in front of his family and friends, or because Morgan thought they were talking about him, or all of the above, Sarah didn't know. It didn't matter. She felt terrible.

 _Why don't you all have another cold glass of shut the fuck up?!_ was Sarah's first thought, but instead she said, "I'll have another sausage, if that's what you mean. Thanks for asking."

Morgan blinked. So did Alex and Devon.

Casey, Carina, and Zondra all snorted.

Ellie hid her mouth against one palm, her eyes twinkling—she didn't have a problem with that. She knew by now what they were for each other; there wasn't any insecurity behind it.

Chuck merely smiled, still embarrassed.

Sarah lifted a foot under the table. Chuck was right in front of her. She (unsurprisingly) knocked against several wandering legs, before making it to her target.

Chuck squirmed at first.

Then, he relaxed.

– _**10:31 PM**_

"You need to talk to Carina," Chuck said as he brought back dishes to the kitchen. Sarah gave him a look. "I know, I know," he added. "You can tell me 'I told you so' tomorrow."

"What did she do now?" Sarah asked.

"If eyes could kill," Chuck said, "I think Carina would have exploded under Alex's gaze."

"Casey, or Morgan?"

Chuck shrugged. "Who knows? Probably both."

"Have _you_ talked to her?" Sarah asked. "Isn't she more likely to listen to you? Your friend in our home, and all…" Sarah added a smile. She was teasing. She couldn't help but feel relieved at seeing she wasn't the only one dealing tonight.

If Sarah had rapidly patched things up with Zondra, Carina had been a different matter altogether.

Everything had happened so fast with Sarah's coma and faux-death; their relationship had never gotten closure. Far from it in fact, since the last they'd seen of each other before Sarah's departure, they were still fighting over Carina's lies and Sarah's feelings for Chuck and Zondra.

Upon meeting with Zondra, Sarah had known it'd been over with both CATs. She'd chosen Chuck—how could she not? With his animal-shaped curls, his nerdy babbling, and his perfect shoulders—but Carina had never known about Sarah's choice. And the redhead had taken Sarah's disappearance roughly, Sarah knew.

Carina had avenged Sarah's death by teaming up with Chuck and going after the Ring. She had ferociously killed Daniel Shaw.

Except...Sarah wasn't dead. She wasn't dead, and she and Carina weren't a thing anymore. All Sarah could offer Carina was friendship—or rather: real friendship, as they'd been friends before. They could no longer be bosom buddies, as Casey loved to put it.

And now, Carina was angry. She was angry about Sarah's lies; for her rejection too. She had good reasons to be, as Sarah felt awful about what she'd done, but if there was a chance they could be friends again, Sarah had to try for it.

It would take time, Carina would get payback anyway she could, but Sarah had to try. She might not have chosen Carina in the end, but she still cared for her deeply. And so did Chuck now. Ellie, too, had befriended Carina.

That was what this feast was about: reconciliation. Bringing all the people they cared about together, and turning the page of Ellie's absence and Sarah's fake death.

A family dinner. A new era.

That was if Ellie and Sarah weren't made, of course.

Chuck gave Sarah a sour look. "I did talk to her." He paused. "Well, not explicitly," he admitted.

"She's like a child," Sarah said. "She's gonna test boundaries until someone tells her off." Sarah stopped seeing that Chuck had frozen. "Or so they say about kids. Don't look at me like that. You're the one making me watch TV."

Chuck grinned, and made a show of sighing loudly. "I guess I shall go 'Tell her off'."

– _**10:44 PM**_

Something wasn't right.

It'd been too long since Carina had been reprimanded. As much as Sarah loved Chuck, it was dubious that Carina had agreed to play it down because he'd asked her nicely. Even if she had, Carina would have been bored after five minutes, ten tops.

Sarah methodically surveyed the room.

Casey, Devon, and Zondra were chatting at the dinner table. Zondra had finally piqued Devon's interest with her knowledge of water sports. Or maybe, Devon had finally piqued another of Zondra's interests, aside from his awesome figure, with his taste for water sports. Weirdly enough, Casey had been the one initiating the conversation, saving Devon from another assault. It had been almost as if Casey had cared. The booze, probably.

Morgan had graciously offered to help Ellie with the dishes, which had led Chuck to naturally hover around the kitchen with his sister and best friend. Sarah observed them for a minute. Witnessing a familial atmosphere like this one always reminded Sarah that she and Ellie had made the right call.

That left...Alex and Carina. They weren't anywhere in sight.

"Sarah?" Chuck called out. "Hon?"

"Um?"

"Everything alright?" he asked.

Sarah mustered a smile for both Bartowskis eyeing her, although she knew it was a weak one. "Sure."

"Should we serve dessert?" Ellie asked.

Sarah's mind wandered for a split-second. Okay, maybe a split-minute. "Yeah," she replied. "Good idea." She tried to sound casual, not wanting to alarm anybody, especially not Casey and Morgan. "Let me get Carina. She wouldn't want to miss the surprise."

Since Sarah was just coming back from the bedroom, where she'd been retrieving Chuck's second iPod after he had claimed to have a playlist that was "Perfect for their dinner party," she knew they weren't in the guest room. She had checked that it was still shut—preventive measure number six—even if Carina and Zondra could pick the lock without effort. Sarah hadn't heard anything inside. The bathroom had been clear as well.

So, Sarah gave Chuck his iPod and headed outside. She threw a discreet look at the French doors on her way, in case Alex and Carina had sneaked to the back of the apartment. They hadn't.

The night was clear, and the light heat wave Sarah had felt earlier seemed to have eased off. Sarah took a minute to inhale some fresh air and enjoy a moment of respite. Her shower felt like it'd been an eternity ago, and Sarah knew she wouldn't get a relaxing moment for a while yet—if she did at all. With the amount of juice circulating, the Bartowskis presumably wouldn't be in great shape when the CATs—or exhaustion, likely exhaustion, declared this party over.

A few empty cups were resting on the edge of the fountain. A jumble of beer bottles, cups, glasses, a few bags of chips, and plates had made their way around the barbecue, but they had at least cleaned up the device.

Sarah strained her ears and walked slowly, silently, in the courtyard. Where were Alex and Carina? And more importantly, what were they doing?

 _Not each other_ , Sarah hoped.

She finally heard a noise. Muffled chatter came from behind Mr. and Mrs. Hedistian's apartment. Sarah hoped the elderly couple had taken her advice and cleared out of their home tonight, in order to visit family. They must have, because it was doubtful they'd had taken kindly to two trespassers crashing their terrace.

How did Alex and Carina even worm themselves up there? It took two seconds for Sarah's spy brain to answer her own question. You could easily climb the wall from the garbage bin emplacement. Her mind was still sharp, the drinks hadn't gotten to her yet. Sarah felt a wave of reassurance overcome her at the confirmation.

She studied her neighbors' apartment for a second. Since Alex and Carina were hiding, she might as well have a little fun with it. Sarah jumped, leaping onto their balcony, grabbed the edge of the roof, and raised herself without difficulty. She rounded to the other side, and spotted the two women immediately.

Sarah winced at Carina's precarious position—balancing on the two back feet of the chair with her feet crossed at the ankles up on the table—but felt an ounce of relief. Alex hadn't gotten herself in too much trouble, though they were smoking something that didn't exactly look like a cigarette.

It struck Sarah to see Carina talking innocently with Alex. Her attitude seemed deprived of innuendo; perfectly content in simply talking and joking around. What was Alex's secret? Sarah would love to know. Ellie too had managed this with the redhead, but Sarah had presumed part of it was Carina's courtesy to Chuck. Carina's advances might not be a threat to Sarah's happiness anymore (though, if Carina suddenly had a change of heart and decided she wanted to be, Sarah would be in big trouble), but it could help Sarah out with Zondra to be able to handle her like this. Zondra was so frustrating!

Using the rain gutter, Sarah lowered herself onto the terrace. "Hey, guys," she said when she landed.

Carina stared at her for a second. Sarah figured it was because the DEA agent hadn't heard her, which was sloppy on her part. On the other hand, Sarah was the best. If there was somebody able to surprise Carina, it was her.

Sarah preened.

"Hey, Sarah," Alex said, trying and failing not to exhale.

Sarah feigned ignorance. "What'cha doing out here?"

"Waiting for you, of course," Carina said, dryly.

"Leftovers from Belize?" Sarah asked.

Carina nodded, taking a puff. "The guys at the office were raving about this shipment we intercepted last month." She shrugged. "I wanted to know what the fuss was about." Then, she smiled irreverently. "I call it research."

"It's so sweet, and fruity, and—" Alex realized what she was saying and closed her mouth. She looked like a chastised child for an instant, glancing over at Sarah. "What?" she still said defensively. "I'm still in college."

Sarah didn't acknowledge her excuse. She wasn't going to tell Casey, but there was no harm in letting his daughter think she might. "Carina, you don't even _like_ pot!"

"I like the look on your face, right now," Carina said.

"How about Casey's look?" Sarah said, annoyance perking up. "Would you like that?"

Carina straightened subtly at the threat, but rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said and smashed the laughing cigarette on the Hedistians' terrace.

"Don't leave it here," Sarah ordered. "This is someone's home."

"Fine," Carina repeated.

Alex stood up. "What did we miss?"

"We were going to serve dessert," Sarah said, as they climbed back over the wall.

"Woo, yes!" Carina said, suddenly back to her enthusiastic state. "Did you guys start already?"

Sarah shook her head. "We were waiting for you. I thought you'd want to be there."

Carina grinned. "You guys are going to love this!" And she rushed back to the apartment.

"Uh-oh." Sarah sighed.

"She's not that bad," Alex said with a smile.

"I know."

"She wouldn't really go after Morgan, right?" Alex asked.

"Nah," Sarah said. "Though if she did, she'd consider it a service to you."

Alex considered it. "But she wouldn't."

"She wouldn't," Sarah confirmed, and let Alex enter the living room first.

"Get out!" Devon was telling Zondra. "You hiked Kilimanjaro twice?!"

"I like hiking on big things," Zondra replied. She winked for good measure.

That was all it took for Devon to get back the frightened look he'd been mostly sporting in her presence.

"Hurry!" Carina cried. "Geez, we're dying here."

Carina waited for everyone to sit back at the table, the dessert tray displayed at its center, before lifting up the cloche lid cover.

"Oh, boy," both Chuck and Ellie said.

"Jell-O shots, guys!" Zondra said.

"We've got vodka," Carina added, pointing at the different shot glasses and colors, "tequila. Here's gin for you Ellie. Rum. That one's whisky with a hint of..."

– _**11:21 PM**_

"Oh, Babe!" Devon said.

Sarah had a vague sensation of déjà vu. She turned to see Ellie—and the others—stepping outside, and heard Devon plead with his wife not to make him distract her and Zondra again. "The woman is scary," he added. "And I think she's kinda after me."

 _What could possibly make you think that?_ Sarah wondered. She did have to agree, though. Zondra was watching Devon with her predator eyes now.

Terror notwithstanding, Devon _had_ saved Sarah from Zondra's wrath. The ex-CAT Squad member had managed to sneak past everybody else, and lured Sarah outside with her, under the pretext of retrieving the plates near the barbecue.

"Do it for Chuck," Ellie told him. She was rather convincing in her worried big sister role, in spite of the fact that Sarah knew Ellie wasn't thinking of her brother—not firstly anyway.

– _**11:31 PM**_

Sarah frowned. "What are you looking at?" she asked, before following her ex-partners' gazes. Ellie was putting back a few bottles away in the bar, bent forward.

"Chuck's sister's hot," Carina said.

It was pretty much what Sarah was thinking at the moment. Pretty much. She knew exactly how hot Ellie was.

"She does have a nice—"

"Don't even go there!" Sarah cut Zondra off for the bajillion time of the night. Both agents turned to Sarah simultaneously and squinted at her. _Uh-oh_. "It's Chuck's sister!" Sarah said as an explanation. She tried to sound obvious. "And she's married!"

_And she's mine!_

"Again with the married refrain." Zondra rolled her eyes, and leaned closer to Sarah, exposing her cleavage greatly. Yep, her bra was the same dark color as her very tight pants. "You could settle this easily, you know."

Carina brought an arm around Zondra's shoulders, sweeping against her. "It's true."

"Why don't you guys show us that game we were talking about earlier?" Chuck interrupted, to Sarah's relief, arriving in the conversation.

His proposition was met with enthusiastic agreement. A drinking game wasn't the wisest of ideas, it was actually a terrible idea, but Sarah knew it would distract them for a little while. She couldn't really hope for more at the moment.

Walking to give a hand to Ellie, Sarah crouched down beside her and whispered, "After reflection, maybe you shouldn't be left alone with Zondra either."

"Oh?" Ellie said. Sarah nodded. "She's never actually tried anything, you know."

"That's strange," Sarah said.

"Maybe I should be offended," Ellie joked.

"You're stunning. What about Carina?"

Ellie didn't answer right away.

"Ugh," Sarah said, as they both straightened to their feet.

"Damn it!" Ellie said when she caught glimpse of the drinking gamers. "What is Zondra doing with Devon's biceps?!"

Ellie hurried to join everyone around the coffee table. Sarah hadn't heard them talking about a drinking game at dinner, but she supposed they were referencing the "Drunk Kitty." The CATs had invented it back in the day.

Casey, seated between Carina and Zondra, was doomed. He was surprisingly already as _canned_ as Sarah had ever seen him—except maybe for that time with Ilsa. Since the CATs had not only come up with the rules of the game, but they all cheated anyway, Casey would be drinking. A lot.

Seeing as Alex was the one refilling his glass across the table, Sarah figured it was okay. Ellie had squeezed herself between Zondra and her husband, Chuck was between Carina and Morgan. Maybe, they would get through the night.

Carina leaned slightly to her other side. Chuck and she were conferring—very close to each other. Sarah told herself it was just the game, nothing else.

When Carina looked up over Chuck's shoulder, however, to throw an evil look at Sarah and wink at her, it was definitely time to join the "Drunk Kitty" party.

Goodbye, preventive measure number four.


	3. Part III

– _**11:56 PM**_

"Oh, c'mon!" Alex chortled. "That can't be right!"

"It's the rules," Zondra said.

Carina nodded. "You drink, Casey!"

– _**12:21 AM**_

The bottle in Sarah's hand appeared more and more like a tempting getaway. The "Drunk Kitty" had started to get to the heads of the party members, and they were now taking a welcome break outside.

"If you're not going to drink it," Carina said, and snatched Sarah's bottle, "you should share."

"Carina!" The CATs would be the death of her, she knew it!

"Oh, shiny!" Casey said, realizing it was whisky, "time for my cigar."

Carina opened her mouth to comment, but Alex stopped her, holding up a palm. "Please, don't!" For the first time of the night, Carina sort of looked apologetic.

"Lighten up," Zondra told Sarah, taking a sip.

Sarah glowered at her. "I'm great."

"Have some fun, then!"

Annoyance stirred up at Sarah even more. "I am!"

"Could have fooled me," Carina insisted.

"Damn it!" Ellie said. A bag of chips had winded around before she could catch it and throw it away. The bag crashed against Casey's door for a moment. Ellie glanced at Sarah, hopeful.

There wasn't much Sarah could refuse her gorgeous secret girlfriend when she was looking at her that way.

One of her knives flew. It passed over Casey's shoulder—the NSA agent had been on his way to provide himself with his cigar—and skewered the plastic bag onto the door. "Here."

"Holy crap!" Chuck said. Everybody in attendance seemed to agree with the sentiment of surprise except Ellie. Casey, who had stopped on his heels, spun around and gave Sarah a reproachful look.

"It would have gotten away," she told him with a shrug.

Casey glowered at her, turned back on his feet, and left, muttering something unintelligible about cats and kitties.

"Nice!" Carina said. "Let's play dart-knives!"

"What?" Devon said.

"We use to play darts with knives," Sarah explained. "It's more fun."

"Dibs!"

"We're not doing this," Sarah said, for obvious reasons. Salvaging Casey's door from knife notches was one. Also, not being crazy.

"Oh, come on, you used to love playing that game!" Zondra said.

"Maybe she's too afraid she's gotten rusty," Carina said, "and that we're gonna crush her."

Sarah's competitive side wanted to show them just how rusty she was, but she tried to remind herself that it wasn't a good idea. She crossed her arms over her chest, unfaltering in her stance.

"Pff," Ellie breathed. "Sarah losing?" She laughed.

Carina studied Ellie for a moment. She'd been quick to defend Sarah, and her obvious faith in her knife-throwing skills had been a little too pronounced. This was exactly what Sarah had feared about this evening—among other things, temptation being a massive weight on her shoulders. They needed to stay as sober as possible, as in control as possible, or who knew what mistake they'd make? There were too much at stake.

"I'm all eyes. Well," Carina pondered, "in that particular case. What do you say Sarah? Are you quitting before even trying to beat us?"

Sarah pursed her lips.

"Oh," Chuck said, "you are _on_. You're not the only one who knows their way around—"

"Sarah?"

"—knives." Chuck cast a forced smiled at Carina for her quip. "I'm game."

"We all are," Ellie said. She came to Sarah and threw an arm around her back, her hand landing on her shoulder. It was a friendly gesture, nothing suggestive or too intimate, but the sensation of the stroke was stirring all the same. The mild hot spell they were experiencing that day really hadn't had good timing. It wasn't as if there weren't enough inflammatory elements to this party. "We're just having fun," Ellie told Sarah, bringing her voice to a lower tone. She grinned at her. "Come on."

Sarah fought down the compulsion to act, instigated by Ellie's actions, and looked away to cover for whoever was watching them. She glanced at Chuck. He gave her an encouraging smile. What the hell? They were all just looking to have a great time. They were here to party.

"Let's do this!"

– _**12:50 AM**_

"I know, right? Who knew Mikhail Gorbachev could dance so well?"

– _**12:54 AM**_

"Chuck!" Sarah said higher than she intended. She took a deep breath. They'd been back at playing "Drunk Kitty" after she had kicked everybody's asses at dart-knives, and the last round of drinks had been rough. "What's going on with Alex and Morgan?"

The couple was engaged, away from the rest of the crowd, in what seemed like a vehement argument.

"I think Morgan slobbered over Carina a shade too much," Chuck said. "Again."

Sarah grimaced.

"Where are my pants?" Casey's voice rang.

Sarah's grimace intensified. The big guy was _wasted_.

Casey shouted again. "I need pants!"

Alex, who had dismissed Morgan at the sound of her father's yells, went to Casey. "I think it's time to go," she told him.

Casey stood up from the couch. He was indeed in his underwear. Sarah not only wondered how it happened in the few minutes she and Chuck had been away from the game, but also if he'd ever not end up like this with Carina around. The walk home was quite wobbly, and despite her annoyance at him, Alex shot a grateful look at Morgan when he came to support Casey's other side.

Chuck walked back to the coffee table once they had gotten inside. He drew a card from the deck, visibly intent on resuming playing. "He managed to grunt his goodbye," he said. "He'll be _fine_!"

– _**1:38 AM**_

"WOOHOO!" Carina's hands were clapping in rhythm with everyone else's.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hed are gonna hate us!" Chuck told his sister.

Ellie was laughing so hard, she had to draw in several deep breaths to answer her brother. "They'll miss bingo tomorrow to have a nap." She shrugged. "I informed them we'd be having company tonight."

"Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!" was chanted along as Devon bottomed out his beer. When he finished it, Alex handed him a shot of…a chemically bright-colored liquid. Sarah wasn't sure what it was exactly.

"I told Mrs. Hedistian it would be a good idea to go visit her daughter," Sarah said. "I don't think they're here."

Still laughing, Ellie yelled, "Shame!" in response, when Zondra suddenly hopped into the fountain for no apparent reason. "I bet Mr. Hed would have loved to see that!"

Sarah released a guttural sound. Zondra was wearing a white tank top. A white tank top now utterly wet. There wasn't any doubt left (not that Zondra had made any secret of it before that point) on the color of her bra.

Someone nudged Sarah's side with an elbow. She battled for a few seconds—there must really have been a microclimate over the apartment complex that night, because the temperature was so high, even outside; she considered jumping in the water as well—and averted her eyes.

Looking up at the person next to her, Sarah saw Chuck giving her a smile. She was pretty certain he couldn't see her blush, since her face must have been flushed with the alcohol and the current heat wave, but Sarah still sighed apologetically as she also remembered to close her mouth. It had somehow been hanging open.

Sarah leaned against Chuck; it wouldn't help with the heat, but it might help with the fogginess. He wrapped his arms around her. His shirt smelled of the rum they had had earlier. He must have spilled some. Maybe he should drop the shirt and go into the fountain too. Sarah let the thought entertain her mind for a little while—until Zondra distracted her again. Did she really have to wriggle like that? What was she, a dog?

"Why are we back playing outside again?" Sarah asked.

Chuck laughed. "I can't rememb—"

Ellie's voice covered his words. "Wow, wow, wait!" she was telling Zondra. The CAT's hands were tugging at the hem of her top. "I'll lend you some clothes." Ellie grabbed Zondra's elbow and began to lead her into the Woodcomb home, across the courtyard.

"Oh!" Carina said. "I'll come with you!"

– _**1:54 AM**_

"Oh god," Sarah said. "What are they doing?"

It was a rhetorical question—anyone with eyes in working order could appreciate what was going on—but Sarah felt it needed to be asked anyway.

"I tried to stop them," Morgan replied. He looked bewildered—divided between gratitude toward whatever Gods who made the fantasy he was witnessing happen, fear that it was actually happening (the CATs were pretty intimidating, after all), and by the look he was giving Alex, worry that he was going to give/already had given her, another reason to be upset. "I swear!"

Carina, kneeling beside Devon and Ellie's coffee table, lifted her head. She had just drunk a shot of tequila from Zondra's navel. Zondra was lying on the table, propped up on her arms. She still was as fit as she used to be, Sarah thought, as her posture put her abdominal muscles in full display. Also, she wasn't wearing anything on top beside her bra. Ellie hadn't had time to give the brunette a dry top apparently. Zondra handed Carina a slice of lemon.

Sarah looked away from the tantalizing picture, and waited for her peripheral vision to tell her it was safe to look.

"What the…" Ellie said from the stairs. Well, at least she _had_ found a top for Zondra, judging by the clothes in her hand.

Carina tossed the lemon across the room. She swept her fingers across her frolicking lips, and said, "Who wants next?"

– _**02:07 AM**_

A crackling sound pulsated from outside.

Sarah twirled in the direction of the open door, hoping that it wasn't what she thought it was. It kept going.

"Morgan!" Chuck said. "What the heck, buddy?!"

"Dude!" Morgan drew out the word. "It's awesome!"

And then, before she could cross the threshold, Sarah heard the unmistakable pops. She saw sparks and colored lights flashing.

Fireworks.

"Yay!" Carina said.

Sarah caught sight of the redhead and immediately knew. There was too much glee in her demeanor. _She_ had done this. Maybe she'd enrolled Morgan in her latest high jinks, but it was her doing.

They had _just_ gotten Zondra to finally put on a shirt, and Carina had already managed to create another spectacle by setting off a freaking firework? And in the middle of their courtyard, no less. Where did it even come from?

Alex's voice covered the swish of a second rocket. "Morgan!" She yanked on his arm, and pulled him inside. He could get a little over excited with those kinds of toys.

"Um, Sarah," Chuck said. He wasn't the biggest fan of fireworks. Mainly, he liked possessing all his limbs. He and Devon had moved away from the exploding projectiles.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll talk care of it," Sarah said. "Carina!"

Behind her, she heard Devon splutter, "I'm not sure whether it was awesome or not."

That was a first.

– _**02:31 AM**_

"Okay," Carina said. She slouched on the couch, back in Chuck and Sarah's living room, and stretched her arm to grab a cup. "I never had sex on the beach."

"Oh, no, no, no," Sarah said. "We're not playing that game."

Zondra drank, and then whined, "Why not?"

Morgan and Alex looked at each other, tilted their heads to the side in a "heh" movement, and drank.

"You should at least say something true!" Chuck told Carina with a laugh.

Sarah's neck twisted so fast that her vision blurred. It didn't keep her from narrowing her eyes at him. _They_ hadn't had sex on the beach, yet. Why hadn't they? It was summer. They should remedy this urgently.

Carina, completely unfazed and obviously pleased that Chuck had run into her trap so eagerly, grinned. She lifted her glass in the air once in salute and drank. "Your turn," she told Chuck, "drink. You too, Sarah."

Sarah shook her head for emphasis. "I'm not playing."

"I never had sex in Sri Lanka," Zondra said, ignoring her and refilling her glass. This time, it was Carina who narrowed her eyes. The CATs had had a memorable mission in Sri Lanka. Zondra drank, Carina didn't, and they both turned in unison to Sarah.

It was as if a spotlight had focused on her.

Soon, all eyes were on Sarah, all eyes, except Chuck's. He took Sarah's glass—his was empty. They hadn't been drinking the same thing initially, but the evening had just become a potluck in terms of refreshments—and drank. "Sri Lanka is a very nice place," he said. "Sarah and I had a great time there last month."

Sarah exhaled in relief. In her panic—essentially consisting of Costa Gravan memories flashing before her eyes—she had completely forgotten about that Sri Lankan mission, which was a little astonishing considering that Chuck's words were a total understatement. "A great time" had nothing on what they'd experienced there.

"I never had sex on a trampoline," Morgan said. Alex shot him a dirty look. "What?" he told her. "It's the perfect opportunity for you to see that it's not that strange."

Devon reached for his drink. He was uncharacteristically _toasted_ and likely hadn't realized what he was doing at first, because he froze as soon as his hand touched the cup. He turned very, very slowly to his wife. The Woodcombs hadn't entered the game so far. Ellie shook her head at him negatively.

She was the one that probably had the most to hide in this game. She looked furtively at Sarah. Sarah tried not to think about Ellie and that trampoline. They needed a change of activity, and fast.

"Trampoline, Captain!" Zondra said. "I like it!"

Carina drank. "I knew an Olympic gymnast," she told Alex casually.

Alex grunted. Apparently, Morgan had proved his point.

"Since this game is only going to be about who had sex, where, how, with how many, etc. etc." Chuck said. "We can probably find something better to do." He seized a remote and hit a button.

Music played through the speakers. As if on cue with the subject, the singer started singing: "Boom, boom, boom, boom! I want you in my room! Let's spend the night together…" Sarah frowned, rolled her eyes, and smiled back at Chuck who had burst out laughing next to her.

"Let's dance!" Zondra said, already pulling Carina to her feet.

– _**03:16 AM**_

Sarah grabbed the cup Chuck was extending to her, and gulped down water. She avoided, just barely, spitting everything out after her first swallow. "That's not water!" She coughed.

"Sorry," Chuck said.

"You're trying," Sarah said, and tried to catch her breath from all the dancing, and the vodka that was burning inside, "to kill me with this bash. Admit it." Chuck strode to the sink. Sarah incidentally stole his chair.

"Here," he said, coming back with tap water. He leaned against the table close to Sarah, his fingers curling around her shoulder.

"Thanks." The fire in Sarah's throat lessened as the water flowed down. She glanced at Alex, Devon, Ellie, and Morgan on the chairs next to her. "You know they know you're watching, right?"

They were watching—staring, really, and in Morgan's case, also drooling—the CATs rocking the dance floor, or more specifically, the living room, which had been transformed into a dance floor for the occasion. Needless to say, Carina and Zondra knew how to get some attention when they danced; even more so, when they danced together. It was one of their numerous transfixing powers.

Grateful for Chuck and Ellie's presence at her side, Sarah glimpsed back at her two friends—without her boyfriend and/or girlfriend right next to her, chancing a look could have proved perilous. The CATs were glued to each other, moving to the salsa song in rhythm. As expected, the amount of glistening skin exposed was detrimental to Sarah's resolve. Carina's dress was cut short in the first place, but it lifted higher on her thighs with her dancing motions, leaving nothing to the imagination. Zondra had opted to replace her outfit with another tank top—orange, that one—and a skimpy pair of black shorts. (Why Ellie never wore the skimpy black shorts herself wasn't of primary order, but Sarah would still have liked to know.) In any case, Sarah had to cover the groan that desperately wanted to escape her throat at the view before them. She slurped some water, and gathered that Chuck had been right: vodka would have been more apropos.

"Maybe it will keep them from pushing things further?" Alex said without conviction.

Sarah indulged herself a moment longer. It didn't hurt to watch a little. She shook her head. "I don't know if giving them an audience is the best thing..."

"I'm glad I've been wearing jeans," Chuck whispered to her.

Sarah almost broke her neck again, as she turned to look at him too fast. Chuck was grinning. Damn him and damn green-eyed monster! "If it becomes too hard for you," she said in a slur that made Chuck shift his weight, suddenly looking uncomfortable, "just think about baseball."

Chuck slightly gaped at her, but the smile didn't disappear. "Aww, it only happened once." He raised his index finger to stress his point. Sarah's gaze lingered on his erected finger, which didn't go unnoticed by her boyfriend. His eyes flashed with mirth. "Besides, I was doing it for you."

Sarah had to admit that it was a helpful technique. She had tested it herself since that incident—Ellie's fault. Thinking of the Iron Lady naked on a cold day was going way too far for her, though. No urgency could justify it.

"Sarah?" Chuck asked when she shuddered.

Still, as helpful a tip as it had been, Sarah wasn't going to let it go. Chuck wasn't supposed to use it when it came to her. "It looked to me as though you _weren't_ doing—"

"Okay, okay," Chuck stopped her. He side-glanced at his sister. Sarah's voice, she realized, had gotten a little louder. "I was talking about watching _you_ dance, anyway."

"Uh-huh," Sarah said.

"I was!" Chuck bent forward. "I love you." He kissed Sarah's cheek.

Devon sighed loudly. "I'll go," he said. As if going off to war, it sounded like he was sacrificing himself to heroically save his fellow comrades from certain death. He pushed on his chair with his hands to get up.

Ellie gave her husband a thankful look, and stretched out her hand for him to take. "I'll go with you."

Chuck took Ellie's seat next to Sarah, and the four remaining people watched the Woodcomb couple interrupt what had become closer to a lap dance at that point. They danced and chatted for a minute, until Carina and Zondra shared a look. Mayhem was afoot.

"Uh-oh," Sarah said.

"What is it?" Chuck asked.

"That's not—"

Sarah's sentence died on her lips. Carina and Zondra reached for something on the couch. They simultaneously lifted cushions in the air to strike their first blow. Whatever Ellie and Devon had told them, it had now started a pillow fight.

– _**03:24 AM**_

Sarah looked around her as everybody seemed to have frozen in surprise after Carina and Zondra's attack. The Woodcombs had adopted a crouched position, and from there, time suspended for a short instant. Sure, the CATs were running around, already throwing cushions everywhere, but nobody else had even so much as twitched.

Until, Ellie moved. Sarah had feared this would happen. Ellie wasn't just tipsy anymore, but well on her way to drunken land. _Thanks, gin_. She grabbed an armrest behind her, jumped to her feet too briskly for her inebriated state, wobbled on her legs, giving everybody who was smart enough to look a good representation of what was down her shirt, and she shot.

Carina and Zondra froze for the fraction of a second—enough time for Chuck to start racing for the bedroom, followed by Morgan.

"Ammunition!" Morgan cried out.

The CATs returned fire.

And then, it _was_ war.


	4. Part IV

– _**04:09 AM**_

She could have stopped it.

Sarah had seen Zondra take her weapon. She'd seen her sneak away through the window. She'd seen her hide flat on her stomach on Mr. and Mrs. Hedistian's balcony. She'd seen her waiting patiently for her prey.

She would have stopped it, but...it would be much more of a treat to let it unfold.

Zondra climb over the rail, and prepared herself for the jump. She lowered her body on the other side of the rail by squatting down, balancing her body thanks to her hold of the ramp. It all happened swiftly, and her prey, who was turned the other way, had no chance of seeing her in the dimness of the night.

Zondra let herself go and landed on Devon's back, straddling him from behind. Due to many hours of working out, he didn't collapse, but he did shriek when she subsequently fired her weapon.

It was difficult to blame him considering whipped cream sprayed on his face. Not to mention that Zondra didn't seem to mind getting dirty in the process.

Chuck, who'd been trying to pass through the courtyard with Devon, went for the can. It was a struggle. By the time he managed to take possession of the device, the can was empty and Chuck, Devon, and Zondra were all covered in whipped cream.

Devon lowered Zondra to the ground then, and she immediately sidled away from them. That couldn't be good.

"Chuck!" Sarah tried to warn from her hiding spot.

Too late.

Carina leapt out of Casa Woodcomb and threw two bowls of liquid chocolate at Chuck and Devon's face.

Cries, belly laughs, and high-fives ensued.

Morgan appeared and sprinted from Casey's to the fountain with a basin in hand. His shirt was wet and half-blanketed with feathers, polyester fibre, and wadding, creating a cloud of white flying material in his wake. Morgan filled the basin with water and doused the CATs without thinking twice—payback.

Carina and Zondra let out squeals—before simply shrugging to each other. Carina reached for the zip of her dress, rolled her shoulders, and let the garment slip to the ground, while Zondra took off her tank top once more.

This was so unfair! It was the first evening they had all spent together! The first one! Why did Sarah have to be tested this much at once?

Sarah decided she was going to kill Morgan Grimes. That was, if she ever pulled her attention back from the two practically naked creatures ambling around her apartment complex. Carina was aiding Zondra cleaning up her whipped cream, which, in no way, was aiding Sarah with her mind-wandering problem.

Sarah's peripheral vision informed her that Devon had pulled off his shirt as well. It was a wonder it hadn't happened sooner, but his very apparent Zondra-induced fright could explain the restraint. A glance told her that his sleek, glossy body was as pleasant to look at as it ever was. Zondra's eyes seemed to agree, once more taking on that predatory look that frightened her awesome prey so much. Devon should escape while there was still time. Although—yep, Carina was still distracting the other CAT.

Being familiar with Mr. and Mrs. Hedistian and their appreciation of the human body—notably, how Devon and Sarah were willing to expose theirs—Sarah thought that the Bartowskis' onlooking neighbors really would have had one hell of a good time. Maybe Sarah shouldn't have told them to flee for the weekend. They would have considered this pillow fight turned water fight turned food fight to be a sight for sore eyes. Carina had always known how to use her tongue, and she was now remarkably demonstrating it, apparently considering that her hands alone weren't enough to help Zondra getting rid of the whipped cream. To be fair, Zondra wasn't outdone, they had complementary skills. Mrs. Hedistian wasn't always the friendliest of neighbors, even if Chuck talked highly of her, but Mr. Hed always had a nice word for Sarah whenever they ran into each other. Bummer they were missing the fun!

Though, they probably would have died. A double homicide would have put a damper on the evening. Death by titillation was a thing, right? Sarah could see herself exploding any moment now, she couldn't imagine how her elderly neighbors would have survived. Of course, Zondra would have likely already killed Mr. Hed when she had hopped into the fountain. Frankly, Sarah was still flustered about it to some degree, and she'd seen way, _way_ more in the past. Sarah hated being flustered. When would _her_ recreational time come? When would _she_ c—Sarah squashed that train of thought. The situation was tormenting her enough as it was.

Anyhow, the thrill wasn't worth dying for, was it? Sarah couldn't be a hundred percent certain this instant. Besides, bringing EMTs to a CAT Squad gathering was, from experience, never a good idea. Uniforms in general, Sarah contemplated. All in all, the Hedistians' absence was for the best.

"Your boyfriend is covered in chocolate and whipped cream," Ellie said, passing by Sarah, her words getting through the haze in Sarah's head. "There are better things to do than watch." She grabbed her husband's hand and pulled him away headlong.

Sarah blinked, wondering if she'd dreamed her. It wouldn't have been the first time, especially since Ellie had just been wandering around with mostly only a towel wrapped around her in Sarah's vision.

"How come you're the only one untouched?" Chuck said, approaching her.

Sarah blinked again. So many attractions pulling her in different directions, she felt almost more befuddled than before Costa Gravas. Somewhere in a part of her brain, a voice did think it inconceivable that Sarah still was untouched—to use Chuck's word. Options were piling up.

Chuck had dropped his sexy dark blue shirt early on to salvage it. (It was one of Sarah's favorites. Though, wearing it had not been part of the preventive measures, quite the opposite.) That had been even before the pillow fight had degenerated into chaos. Now, his t-shirt was partly soaked and sticking to his torso, which was completely fine with Sarah.

Carina ruined the moment, asking, "You've been working out, Curly?"

Chuck didn't blush, but he pressed his lips together in discomfort. "You could say that."

"I've kept him in shape," Sarah said. She ran a finger along one of Chuck's cheeks, and brought it to her mouth for a taste. She approved. "Oh, it's Chantilly cream!"

"You chose well, hon," Carina said. "This whipped cream is _delicious_."

"What can I say?" Zondra said. "I have great taste."

"Do you want to try it too, Organ?" Carina asked. "Sarah can tell you all about how good our tastes are, if that helps."

The little bearded man had been in something like shock, entranced by the spectacle, once he'd seen the consequences of his strike.

"Uh...I...uh," was all he managed to stammer, before Alex came out of her father's apartment with damp hair and a complete set of new clothes. She put her boyfriend out of his misery by dragging him inside.

"You know," Chuck told Sarah. He was back to ignoring the cat show next to them, which Sarah found impressive. She couldn't say she had done as much until that moment. Focusing back on Chuck, it was difficult to think of something else other than him. He hadn't missed her gawking at his chest, and seemed to be flexing. Had Ellie really been in a towel just minutes ago, though? "It occurs to me that, I still have one card to play."

Since she'd been looking for Chuck to help her let go of some tension ever since he'd arrived from work, Sarah didn't pretend she would be running from his chocolate-y and creamy embrace. In fact, she was glad to reciprocate when he gave her a hug and kiss.

"Did you call for a relaxation specialist, ma'am?" Chuck said.

Sarah moaned and said, "That was hours ago." She pressed herself with a tad more vigor against him, and tweaked her head in a challenge.

He didn't wait to lift her off her feet, although the walk inside was leisured. There were chocolate and cream to savor.

And, Sarah did get to help Chuck out with his clothes, after all.

– _**04:41 AM**_

Sarah sighed at the t-shirt she'd just put on. She felt trapped, in the restrictive cloth. She didn't like the feeling. It reminded her from before, and she suddenly flashbacked to that awful, horrible, criminal pants suit. They had thrown out the window so many preventive measures already, however, she figured she could endure this for a little longer, but only because she had finally been naked minutes ago.

She strolled down the hallway. The shower was still running, which meant Carina and/or Zondra weren't done changing—or whatever they were doing, Sarah elected not to think about it (too much). Chuck and Morgan were slumped on the couch and an armchair, which had been put back into somewhat of an order in the living room. However, as she looked around the apartment, Sarah noted the extent of the damage. The furniture was still in disarray. A few books and some of Chuck's nerdy dolls had been knocked out of place. There hadn't been too much water splashed inside, but still some. And feathers and fibers had flown everywhere. They'd probably be cleaning up for weeks, finding surprises here and there.

"He's still asleep?!" Chuck asked in disbelief.

"He's _dead_ ," Morgan replied. "Well, he's a dead, snoring man."

Chuck puffed out a laugh as Sarah moved to the kitchen, in search of something to drink. She felt recharged. A sheet of paper flew from the fridge door when she closed it with too much strength. It was a spreadsheet from whatever project Chuck had—something video game related with Morgan. Sarah thought back to times when she, too, liked spreadsheets. Her head turned towards the bathroom and the CATs at the memory. It felt like forever ago. Much had happened since that frenzied period of her life—Bryce was dead, Amy had turned out to be the squad mole, Sarah was trying to reconcile with Carina after she'd done the same with Zondra, and she wasn't sleeping with any of them. She hung the paper back with a magnet, next to the calendar. The date of the red inscription "CAMPING W/ AWESOME" was approaching. Sarah smiled—much had changed, and she was much happier too.

"Is everything okay with Alex?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah, she'll be here any minute," Morgan said. "She wanted to check on Casey one more time."

"You guys having fun then?"

Morgan chortled. "Of course! Are you crazy? This is wild, man."

"It really is," Chuck said. Sarah looked up to check on him. He had gone out with Carina for some time, and had to be used to her partying to some level, but Sarah wasn't Carina. In fact, Chuck had eventually broken up with Carina, and Sarah wasn't sure how he'd take this kind of spree with her now. "This is going well, I think."

Morgan nodded and the two best friends shared a smile, before Ellie and Devon came in. Ellie's hair was still wet and up in a ponytail. She'd traded her green dress for a pair of jeans and an old UCLA t-shirt. She glanced at Sarah briefly—surely assessing her just like Sarah had done—gave her a grin, and flopped down next to Chuck. Devon joined Sarah.

Sarah extended him a bottle. "Beer?"

"Thanks."

"Just throw it away, somewhere," Sarah said about the bottle top, after Devon had looked around. "I don't know where the bin is."

Devon's brows rose, but he shrugged and let the bottle top roll on the counter. Alex arrived and crawled down next to Morgan on the armchair. Devon clinked his beer with Sarah's.

"This is fun," he said, after his first sip.

"Yeah?"

"Yep," Devon said. "Ellie's glad."

"Are you?" Sarah felt herself holding her breath, waiting for his answer. It was important.

Ellie and Sarah had been happy in Costa Gravas. They made each other happy. But so did Chuck and Devon.

It hadn't taken long for Ellie and Sarah to miss them. It hadn't been a regretful observation. They didn't regret what they'd done. They knew for certain they wouldn't be happy without each other; things were right when they were together, and they had tried to make the most of their situations.

Nevertheless, the observation couldn't go unsaid. Especially for Ellie, who'd left both her husband and her brother behind. Once they'd learned the news about the Ring and Shaw, once they'd learned that Sarah was free, it became inevitable: they had to go back.

So, they had thought up a plan. Not so much a mission plan, like Sarah was used to, it was more of a life plan. How could they juggle their men and their own relationship? The answer had seemed obvious. They'd go back to Burbank. Ellie would win Devon back. Sarah would win Chuck back. And, Ellie and Sarah would keep their relationship a secret.

They'd have to hide it, because Chuck and Devon wouldn't understand. Ellie and Sarah would have to accept that someone else was part of their lives. Neither of them had had a hard time with the notion: they knew where the other was coming from. That way, Ellie could share her life with the two most awesome people she knew and loved, and Sarah would have both her favorite Bartowskis. Win for everybody.

Their life plan would only succeed in the long run if it made the four of them happy, though.

"Definitely," Devon said. Relief flowed over Sarah. "I feel like Ellie's never been happier now that she's back, and we're back, you know. And Chuck and you are great, and I think..." He paused. "I think this fiesta is what we needed it to be."

"Christ," Carina said, back from the bathroom. "Leave them alone for five minutes and the ambiance dies."

"Would you put some clothes on!" Sarah said. Adding to the hot spell outside, the staggering amount of apparent skin was starting to warm her up again.

"What?" Carina replied, looking at herself. "It's your clothes, you know."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Who wants to make me a drink?" Zondra asked, arriving.

Sarah shook her head and couldn't help but laugh. Zondra was wearing a skirt as tiny as Carina's and another tank top. Were these really hers? True, Sarah probably looked fabulous in it.

"Oh, martinis," Alex said, drawing out the last syllable. "Morgan?"

"Ow," he whined. "Really?"

"Please?"

"Yeah," Ellie told the CATs. "Morgan does killer martinis."

Morgan stood up. "Grimes. Morgan Grimes." He walked to the bar.

– _**05:02 AM**_

"And," Morgan said, "the last touch—"

"No olives!" Chuck and Ellie cried out simultaneously, interrupting him.

They both spun around to face each other. Chuck looked simply surprised; Ellie was trying to hide her gaffe.

_Uh-oh._

Thankfully, Carina broke off the moment of silence. "I'll take them," she said, snatching the olives from Morgan's hand. "I'll take a second martini too, Organ."

– _**05:18 AM**_

"'SCUSE ME!"

Sarah startled. A throat cleared. She whirled around to face the intruder.

A young man, likely not even twenty years old, had stopped himself—planted his feet, really—at the compound's entrance. He wore a dark blue cap, a jacket of the same color, and his pink messenger bag reflected the tone of the cap's inscription: "Piggy's Pizza." He was holding a bunch of pizza boxes, and Sarah thought he was very close from trying to hide behind the pile when he saw her. His eyes widened in fear, and they fixated on Sarah's hand. He swallowed harshly, making his Adam's apple bob, and slowly lifted his eyes back to Sarah's face.

"Easy," Carina said. Her hand touched Sarah's arm and slid slowly to her wrist. The sensation felt oddly familiar and old at the same time. Sarah suddenly shivered despite the heat wave. Carina's fingers closed on the knife Sarah was displaying. She hadn't realized she'd taken it off when the pizza boy surprised them.

Sarah hastily put away the knife, and muttered her apology to the boy. "Who the hell ordered pizza?" she felt the need to ask.

"We did!" Zondra said. For a spy whose life occasionally depended on a word, a brief gesture, a blink of the eyes, Zondra could be so uninformative in moments such as this one. The CAT rushed to pay the pizza boy—Mike, she called him—giving him a show he probably wouldn't forget anytime soon.

"We just ate a few hours ago," Ellie said. "Oh! Are those pineapples?"

"Indeed." Zondra grinned. "Want some?"

"Yes!" Ellie said.

"Don't worry, Sarah," Carina said next to her. "We got your favorite."

Saliva invaded Sarah's mouth. She had to admit: she was kind of starving too. Plus, she hadn't given up, yet, on activities that would require all her energy later on.

Mike's eyes lingered around the courtyard again. He probably wondered what the heck was going on. Maybe he wondered if he'd crashed his scooter on the way, and had ended up in heaven. Maybe not—he did positively look like a dear caught in headlights. He eventually swallowed again, and mustered a terrified smile. "Have a good night," he said, spinning around.

The portly mascot on the back of his jacket retreated into the night so fast, Sarah was afraid Mike _would_ crash his scooter on the way back.

– _**05:39 AM**_

Ellie giggled wholeheartedly. She didn't giggle like that in public usually. Sarah would have worried, but she found that she was enjoying it too much. Besides Ellie had slid close on the chaise longue and every point of contact between hers and Sarah's body was a delightful distraction.

Laughter erupted at the fountain, and Sarah shifted her eyes from Ellie's skin. After Alex and Morgan had decided to hit the sack and crash at Casey's, the rest stayed out to savor some fresh air. Now, Ellie and Sarah were watching Chuck and Devon play another game, some kind of derivative of beer pong from what Sarah could tell, with Carina and Zondra.

Carina high-fived Chuck.

"Do you think…" Ellie murmured in Sarah's ear.

 _Yes!_ was what Sarah wanted to reply, but instead she asked, "Now?"

In front of them, Zondra's palm caught Devon's bicep again. Ellie's nostrils flared. With the alcohol and the fatigue showing up, Sarah could tell Ellie was starting getting annoyed at Zondra's advances. Devon said something to Zondra. He was genuinely smiling, and didn't seem to be disturbed by the gesture the way he'd been earlier. Zondra laughed and pushed him away gently. They were just joking around. Ellie relaxed.

Still, Sarah said, "That may not be a good idea."

Ellie sighed in acknowledgment, but said, "Yet." She pressed a little more against Sarah for a few seconds. They sat in silence. It might be all they'd get tonight—too chancy.

Carina broke the spell, when she climbed onto Chuck's back after a winning hit. Sarah straightened up on her seat, as she watched Chuck swinging around making the redhead squeal with delight. He was laughing too. The traitor! He even hugged Carina after he released her back to the ground.

"He's just being friendly," Ellie said. "He's a friendly guy."

"I was friends with them first," Sarah said. " _Very_ good friends. I know all about it."

"Babe!" Devon cried. "Come play with us, c'mon!"

Chuck gave a nod, seemingly agreeing with his brother-in-law. He whirled around, uncoordinated, and his eyes lit up when he caught sight of Sarah. He jogged to the chaise longue, and bent forward at the waist. Reaching with his right fingers under Sarah's chin, he gave her a kiss. He tasted of beer, and something else Sarah couldn't identify. She would have taken the time to find out, but he broke the kiss off to say, "Would you be on my team?" He was grinning like a fool.

Sarah chuckled. "You're so drunk."

"Yes." Chuck wiggled his eyebrows. "And?"

Sarah took his hand. "I'm on your team."

She tugged on Ellie's fingers with her other hand as she rose, bringing them all to play another game.


	5. Part V

– _**06:08 AM**_

"No, Carina," Sarah said. She placed the tray of cocktails on the coffee table. "We're not going to Miami tonight!"

"Vegas, then?" Carina sounded hopeful. She was unsurprisingly bored.

Sarah delivered Carina her Sex in the Dunes—the CATs could be much diversified in their choices of cocktails—as a proof of goodwill despite her refusal. "Nuh-uh."

"Just because happy hours are over—"

"It's five in the morning," Sarah told her.

"Six!" Devon said and hiccupped. He'd been doing that for at least twenty minutes or so. The heat wave had made for a nice night outside, but the morning dew had freshened up the air, and they'd just migrated inside again. "Ow."

"Plenty of time left to party!" Carina said.

Sarah had an idea of what kind of partying she wanted to do, and oddly enough, it did not involve Carina. She swapped a look with Ellie. Sarah was not alone in her thoughts. She gave Ellie the second Sex in the Dunes she'd prepared.

"Should we call Mike, then?" Zondra asked, and reached out for her cocktail.

Sarah inwardly rolled her eyes. Although it would keep the two CATs from boredom, the last thing they needed was for pizza boy to show up.

"You have his number?" Chuck said. "Of course, you have his number. And no."

– _**06:20 AM**_

Chuck filled up the tray with stacked up cups. "You need a hand?"

"No, I'm good," Sarah said. She kissed his cheek before getting up, taking the tray with her.

"Pwned!" Carina said cheerfully.

Devon laughed. "Bro!"

"What?!" Chuck lamented. "I was distracted!"

"If you can't stand the heat, don't play with me," Sarah heard Carina say when she reached the kitchen. "You know exactly how hot I am, after all."

They were playing video games, of all things. After they had managed to talk Carina out of playing a movie and sticking a mustache on the TV, which purpose had only meant heavier drinking from Sarah's comprehension, they had opted for this safer activity. Sarah would have protested against it, but she didn't mind watching. It had been particularly entertaining to see the CATs crush Chuck and Devon the game before.

That reminded Sarah that Ellie and Zondra had gone to the Woodcomb apartment to look for…something. She didn't remember what; Sarah was tired. In any case, the two brunettes weren't back.

Sarah entered the bathroom and switched on the light. She left the door ajar and went directly for the sink. She longed to freshen up a bit. Fatigue was showing, and even if she wasn't boozed-up, she could use a little re-energization.

Even as she finished splashing water on her face, Sarah heard the sound of the door. "Hey, girl," Zondra said.

Sarah let out a sigh, while turning off the faucet. "Hey, what's up?" She looked at Zondra in the mirror and paused, taking in her appearance. Zondra had changed again. This time it was a fitted red t-shirt and another pair of shorts. It felt more like skimpy PJs than anything else.

She saw Zondra arch an eyebrow. "Just thought we could catch up," Zondra said. She walked to the sink, and leaned against it next to Sarah, her back to the mirror. "Carina and Chuck are playing Ellie and Devon."

It was like a radiator had just settled right next to her, Sarah thought. It was downright strange how Zondra could always do that. The temperature had increased just by her sheer presence. Soon, there would be steam on the mirror. "In the bathroom?" Sarah asked. She dried her face with a towel.

"Suits me," Zondra said with a shrug.

Before she realized it, Sarah was smiling back. Just because, apparently. Was it Zondra's perfume that had invaded the room too? How was it possible after changing clothes thrice and showering? It must be really good perfume.

"Did you enjoy yourself tonight?" Zondra asked. Her tone was quieter than it had ever been that night.

Sarah swallowed. "Sure. Did you?"

Zondra tilted her head to the side, and studied Sarah. She felt Zondra's eyes swiping her body and tried to restrain the blush she knew was inevitably coming. "I did," Zondra said.

"It's been a while since we've partied like that," Sarah said. She hoped if she could keep chatting for more than five minutes, Zondra's powers would fade a little, and she'd get out of this encounter without hurting any of her Bartowskis.

"I've missed it," Zondra said. Her voice sounded husky.

That was her usual MO. _Just keep talking, Sarah._ "Yeah," she said, "me too." She let out a chuckle. "Though, I don't know if our neighbors will feel the same."

Zondra crossed her arms over her chest in a casual manner. Sarah's eyes flickered down for the shortest of seconds, or two. Damn it! That was exactly what she wanted. "Probably not," Zondra said.

The brunette kept up a stream of chatter, and Sarah found herself nodding as though she was listening, but all she could feel was the haze that normally befell on her around Zondra. Sarah shifted, if she got closer maybe she could manage to pay attention to the words leaving Zondra's mouth. The other woman's lips continued moving; Sarah licked hers.

"…Ellie said…" Sarah heard at some point.

Ellie!

Sarah suddenly remembered what had saved her last December. Thinking of Carina and Chuck and what she was doing to them, indulging herself with Zondra. It hadn't felt right then, and it didn't feel right now. So, Sarah tried to focus on the people on the other side of the door.

Her boyfriend was playing video games in _their_ living room. He was playing with their guests, amongst them was Ellie. _Her_ Ellie.

Sarah took a step back. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, fighting down the urge to get closer again. She was so tired of that tonight. Maybe resistance was futile.

"Sarah?" Zondra asked.

No, it wasn't futile. She'd prepared for this. She wasn't going to let go now. "Yeah," she replied. "Uh, we probably should be getting back."

"What's the hurry?" Zondra asked. "They won't be lost without us, you know."

Sarah tried for a smile. "I know," she said. "Just… Look, no offense, but I don't think this is a good idea."

"No?"

"No," Sarah said.

"Are you scared," Zondra said, "that something might happen?"

"Isn't that what you're looking for?"

"I told you," Zondra replied. "I came to catch up." Sarah didn't believe that for a second. She took another step back for good measure, and she could finally breathe again. "Now, if you're proposing—"

"Fine," Sarah said. She'd been the one who had invited Zondra tonight, after all. She could at least chat with her friend. "No, not that," she added at Zondra's questioning look. "Let's catch up. Tell me about Costa Rica. How come you were working with the DEA?"

Zondra's face fell slightly, but she recovered instantly. "I wasn't. Carina worked with the CIA on this one. She had history with the people we were targeting."

"Oh," Sarah said, settling against the wall. "Anything interesting?"

"Yeah, actually." Zondra explained how they had escaped a compound, and ended up paragliding to freedom. It sounded fun. Sarah had done that with Chuck not long ago. She told Zondra as much, and soon they were conversing like normal friends. Well, normal friends who were agents of the CIA.

When Ellie came looking for them, Sarah was sitting against the wall, Indian style, and Zondra had hopped up on the sink, letting her legs balance in the air.

"Everything okay in there?" Ellie asked. She glanced at Sarah worriedly.

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, we were just catching up."

– _**06:54 AM**_

"Psst!"

Sarah pondered not answering. Maybe Zondra would just give up and fall asleep, like Carina, Chuck, and Devon had.

"Psst!"

"What is it?" Ellie asked from the seat adjacent Sarah.

"Give me Carina's purse, would you?" Zondra said.

"Can't you get it yourself?" Ellie asked her.

"Please? You're closer."

Ellie looked at Sarah incredulously. They were seated all the way back at the table. Zondra was on the couch. She was only a couple of steps from the table near the door, where Carina's purse was resting.

"Psst! You there?" Zondra asked.

"Geez," Sarah said as she stood up. "Next time we entertain inviting them again, remind me of this moment." She handed the purse to Zondra.

Zondra rummaged through it for a full minute, even though it was barely big enough to contain anything. Sarah's eyes bugged out when the CAT finally pulled out something: a black marker.

"What are you doing?"

Zondra grinned. "Fun's not over."

She started with Carina. By the time she had finished her masterpiece, saying, "Sorry, hon. You sleep, you lose," exhaustion and/or alcohol had altered Ellie and Sarah's sanity enough, that they enthusiastically encouraged Zondra to do the same to Chuck and Devon.

– _**08:23 AM**_

"El," Sarah whispered, "your shirt."

"What is it?" Ellie looked down at herself. The UCLA sign was backward. "Oh."

Sarah giggled, even though she knew her own clothes were a little bit in disarray too.

"Crap," Ellie said. "I didn't..." She wasn't wearing anything underneath.

"Nobody's gonna see you here," Sarah said.

"It's plain daylight."

"We've been gone too long already," Sarah told her when Ellie eyed her apartment across the courtyard. "Come inside." She turned the knob.

Chuck and Devon were asleep in both armchairs. From their positions, they'd be sore in the morning—or later that day. Carina was sitting down on the couch, her feet up on the table in front of her. Her head was tilted to the side, in the direction of Zondra. The brunette was using the redhead's thighs as a pillow, and was lying on the rest of the couch.

Prior to Ellie and Sarah's stress relieving interlude, they'd been waiting for Zondra to finally flake out. Sarah had been one punch away from knocking the CAT unconscious. Ellie had dissuaded her, declaring it too extreme, but they did end up attempting to push her to sleep with alcohol. Sarah had eventually dozed off herself in the process, until Ellie had nudged her into semi-consciousness. "Wanna fool around?" she'd asked. It had propelled Sarah into full awareness.

The others had all drifted slightly in their slumber—in Carina's case, it gave a better view of her cleavage—since Ellie and Sarah had left them to sneak out, but it looked like none of them had come around during their absence.

After closing the door as carefully as she had opened it, Sarah grabbed Ellie's elbow to indicate her to move. They tiptoed behind the couch. "Go ahead," Sarah said, gesturing to Ellie to take care of her t-shirt. "Come on, hurry."

Ellie's face scrunched and she spun around to face the kitchen, before taking off her shirt.

Sarah suppressed a laugh at Ellie's rushed and uncoordinated movements. "I've seen you without a shirt before, you know."

Ellie turned her shirt outside in. "And if you want to see it again, we can't afford mistakes like this."

It took a few seconds for the words to register. Ellie's skin was always an enthralling sight, especially with the way she tussled with her t-shirt. Luckily, Sarah was the reason Ellie's shirt had been upside-down, so she was relaxed enough to be content in simply watching. "What? Uh…yeah."

Ellie's head pushed through the collar. "You're kidding, right?" she said, watching Sarah ogle her.

"You want me to pull off my shirt and see how you'd do?" Sarah asked.

"Point," Ellie said, once both arms had passed through the sleeves. She pulled on the hem of her shirt. "How do I look?"

Sarah glanced at the living room, checking that everybody was still sound asleep. "You look fantastic," she said, meandering into Ellie's personal space. After stealing a too short kiss, she added, "Like you always do."

Ellie beamed. "I bet you say that to all your secret girlfriends," she teased, but she didn't move away. If anything, she shifted closer.

Sarah stuck out her tongue at her. She didn't have time to close her mouth back, before Ellie's lips crashed into hers. Sarah let out a silent—she hoped it was silent—moan, already regretting that they had had to rush tonight's intermission. The kiss ceased naturally, and both sighed slightly, knowing they'd already gambled enough for one day. Each of them recovered their wandering hands inside the other's shirt.

Sarah gave a last peck to Ellie's cheek, before separating. They tiptoed back to the living room. Sarah wanted to tell Ellie she really didn't have to make such exaggerated movements to be quiet, but she figured it wasn't the time.

"Devon," Ellie whispered louder than she'd been before, while shaking him. "Babe, wake up."

"Um?"

"Time to sleep," she told him. "In our bed."

Devon yawned and ran a hand across his face. "Right," he said, the sound raw from losing his voice.

Sarah shook Chuck awake the same way, and brushed a hand through his hair. The curls were ruffled from the nap and not drying correctly.

"What time is it?" he asked in a feeble tone.

"Almost eight."

Devon had risen to his feet. He made the zombie look work. One of his arms was wrapped around his wife's shoulders, both as a habit and for support. "Need help?" Ellie asked. Sarah declined the offer and told them that they could go. "Breakfast at our place tomorrow," Ellie said as they wished each other good night.

Chuck and Sarah found themselves in front of the two leggy party monsters.

"Should we really poke the bears?" Chuck asked.

"Wimp!"

"I don't know if I should risk my life with these two deadly government agents. Not when they're blitzed," Chuck said. "I already risk major injury every time I wake you up too brusquely and we live together."

"Hey, I never actually hurt you," Sarah defended.

"And I'd take that chance with you every other day," he said, kissing her temple. "I'm not sure my friendship with the CATs is quite there yet." He yawned.

"You can go to bed," Sarah said. "I'll take care of it." Chuck raised his eyebrows in a "you sure?" question. "I'll be fine," she assured him. "Go."

Chuck left, and Sarah took a second of quiet to peer around the room. The place looked even more trashed in the light of day, without movement and sound.

Carina stirred and made a noise through her nose that Sarah remembered well. She would be waking up soon, would wake Zondra up in turn, and—Sarah preferred not to think about that. She had avoided it all night long. _Only a few hours left_ , she told herself.

"Carina," Sarah called, "Zondra." She didn't touch them. One grappling and she could find herself tangled between her two not-so-dressed exes on her couch: not a good idea. "Come on, sleepy heads."

Zondra cracked one eye open, and wrinkled her face, annoyed. "Tell me you changed your mind."

Sarah laughed. "Nope."

Zondra emitted a disgusted sound. She sat down and took one of Carina's hands. "Hey, fire head."

The smiling, anticipating expression that had grown on Carina's face before she opened her eyes, changed to a mix of question and excitement.

Sarah didn't acknowledge it. Instead, she trudged to the table next to the door. "The guest room's down the hall," she said, tossing her the key. "You're welcome to make yourself at home, but the living room's off limits." Both women lifted their chins at that. "Don't think I'll hesitate to ruin the moment for you. Good night."

Sarah walked to the bathroom without looking back. She brushed her teeth and slipped into bed.

"We made it," Chuck murmured, when she cuddled against him.

Sarah missed having pillow moments like this with Ellie, but that was one of the inherent sacrifices of their situation. She took comfort in knowing Chuck and Devon would be having a boys-only camping trip soon, leaving the girls to themselves for the weekend.

"Almost," she replied, and burrowed her face deeper into his neck. His warmth and smell quickly made the sleeping cloud fall upon her. "They're still here."

As if on cue, a muted thud came from the other side of the wall. Sarah would have grumbled, but she was just glad they had made it to the guest room. Chuck wasn't bothered either, as she felt a faint chuckle rumble through his chest.

"We almost made it," was the last thing she remembered hearing.

– _**11:49 AM**_

Chuck panted. "I think I pulled one of my back muscles again."

"I'd apologize..."

"But you're not sorry," Chuck finished.

Sarah let out a chuckle and smacked her lips sprightly. "I'll make it better in the shower, come on."

Chuck whined. "Why do we even have to get up? I could stand to stay in bed for a few more hours."

"I was thinking we could slack off at the beach this afternoon. Awesome and Ellie have the day off."

Chuck eyed her in suspicion. "The beach, uh?"

Sarah didn't acknowledge his insinuation. "Lying on the sand, enjoying the sun and water, and," she paused, "no galling layers of clothing getting in the way."

Chuck laughed. He knew how much she hated to hide her gorgeous body when unnecessary. He agreed that it was criminal—most of the time. (He also said that he could do without encouraging people to flirt with her.) "That does sound nice," he said. "And if we get thirsty for a cocktail, you wouldn't mind it either."

"I hadn't thought of it," Sarah said, not backing away from feigning innocence, "but now that you've mentioned it, that's a good point. Let's go."

"Ugh," Chuck whined again when Sarah took the covers off him to hurry him up. "We wouldn't be late if..." He was silenced by Sarah's glare. "I'm just saying, as willing a participant as I was—"

"Very willing, it seemed."

"—it wasn't my idea. You woke me up."

"Fine, stay," Sarah said, hopping off the bed. She didn't bother putting anything on. "Take care of that back muscle by yourself, and I'll tell the others you were too lazy to get up." She was going to ask him how long she thought it would take Carina to burst through the door, but Chuck was already on her heels.

"What the frak?" Chuck said when he saw his reflection in the mirror.

– _**12:28 AM**_

Sarah passed the kitchen on her way out. If she had to be back in there anytime this year, it would be too soon. She felt as though she had spent a good portion of her time behind the counter last night, organizing and tidying things up. It had also proved to be a great hideaway when events had been getting fiery.

Chuck jogged to catch up to her, and grasped one of Sarah's hands. "Are the CATs up?"

"Don't know."

"We probably woke them up," he said. "We got pretty loud."

"You certainly did," she said. He hadn't actually been louder than her, but Sarah always marveled at his capacity to handle Carina's innuendos, but not his girlfriend's teasing. There wasn't any reason to be embarrassed about their healthy sex life. And indeed, Chuck's cheeks reddened.

The blush was still plain on Chuck's face when they reached Casa Woodcomb, and it must have prompted Casey's way of greeting for he said, snickering as Devon let them in, "Looks like Bartowski's already knifed that donut."

What Casey had forgotten was that, as he looked up, he displayed the skin between his nose and mouth—and the faded mark of a drawn mustache. The same as Chuck and Devon were sporting. (Carina's had inexplicably disappeared.)

Chuck and Sarah came to a halt, and stared at Casey. Carina and Zondra's eyes sparkled with exaltation. Alex hid her smile behind one of her palms. Morgan coughed. Casey ground his teeth. No comments were made, but it wasn't without difficulty.

The food was glorious, especially the fruit-juice sweetened corn flakes Ellie found at Wholefoods, and although the fatigue was evident among most of them, laughter and general joyfulness were predominant.

Sarah wondered where the new clothes the CATs were wearing came from; she didn't recognize any of them. She might be better off not knowing, so she didn't inquire on the subject. They looked fresh and rested, no doubt ready to reprise the partying where they'd left off if anybody tempted them.

No one was insane enough to do so during breakfast. Preventive measure number 9: No further plans.

– _**13:23 AM**_

"Oh, wait!" Chuck said. "I have something for you." He jogged across the room, and disappeared into the hallway.

Sarah cast a look to Carina. She still wasn't sure on what foot they were standing. The party had gone well, but now the festivities were over and the guests were sober. They stayed motionless for a few seconds, assessing each other in front of the open door of Chuck and Sarah's apartment.

On the other side of the complex, Zondra was distributing hugs. Sarah smiled when the embrace with Devon lasted longer than with the others, but they seemed to have found a common ground. Would Carina and Sarah manage to do the same?

The redhead changed the hold on her helmet from one hand to the other, and spoke up when it was Ellie's turn to exchange a parting hug. "Do you really think this is going to work?" Sarah felt her entire being go rigid. She stopped breathing. Carina laughed. "I'm not blind, you know."

Sarah looked at Carina warily, before twisting her head in direction of the absentee Chuck without meaning to. In preparation for the dinner, Sarah had tried to tell herself that she should look at it as an opportunity. If she could survive this, she could survive anything. She'd have nothing to worry about. She'd resist inhuman temptation, and yet… Was that it? Had what they had feared all along happened and they were discovered? Would their life plan be ruined and the happiness she and Ellie, and by extension Chuck and Devon, were finally experiencing ruined along with it?

"Relax," Carina said, "I'm not going to tell him."

Sarah wondered if she should deny it all, but it might just exacerbate the animosity Carina had felt toward Sarah since her vanishing act. So she decided to take a chance. Carina and she had been friends, they had cared for each other, Sarah still did, and she hoped Carina did too. "Why not?" she asked.

"He's happy," Carina said. Sarah arched an eyebrow, despite herself. _Get a grip on yourself, Walker. Don't mess this up._ "Will he stay that way, though," Carina added. She hadn't commented on Sarah's reaction to her show of caring, but Carina was serious and she showed as much in her intonation. "That's the important part."

"I don't want to hurt him," Sarah said.

"Why do this then?" Carina asked. "If he finds out, you'll loose him for good this time."

"It's…"

"Complicated?" Carina smiled, almost sadly. "It always is with you, isn't it?" Her words were harsher than the tone she used—it wasn't reproachful, but a mere statement. It stung all the same.

"I know," Sarah said and pinched her nose. It was an unusual gesture for her. She stopped. "I know it seems that way. And I know you don't have any reason to believe me, but things are different now."

Carina glanced back outside. "I can't deny that it does look different," she said.

Sarah was secretly seeing someone else behind Chuck's back. It was true that she had done that before. But it _was_ different. Chuck and Ellie were the real thing for Sarah. She wasn't playing around. "Carina…"

"No, I mean it," Carina said. "I wasn't—look, like I said, he's happy. You all seem to be, honestly. And I'm not exactly well placed to give anybody relationship advice, nor do I care to. So as long as you're sure…" She trailed off, waiting for Sarah to respond.

"I am," Sarah said with confidence.

"Then, it's none of my business."

"So," Sarah said, "we're good?"

Carina laughed again. "Yes, we're good." Hearing Chuck walking back into the room, she added, "As long as he stays happy." Despite the whisper, it was a clear warning from the redhead. What Chuck doesn't know can't hurt him. So Carina won't tell him, but Sarah better not screw up.

"Here," Chuck said when he reached them, extending what looked like a DVD box to Carina. Or maybe it was a video game?

"Ugh," Carina said, taking the box with her free hand. She shook her head fondly. "You're not turning me into a nerd, Curly."

"You're gonna love it!" Chuck said.

"Fine, fine," Carina said, starting to walk outside to join the others. Chuck and Sarah followed her. "I'll check it out."

"Well, Walker," Zondra told her when she got within ear shot, "it was fun, seeing you."

"You too," Sarah replied and gave her hug. "You guys are going back to D.C.?"

"Tomorrow morning," Zondra said. She grimaced and touched her jaw. "Damn, I must have hit something last night." Sarah traded a glance with an all but innocent looking Ellie. "Anyway, we're stopping by Vegas first."

Sarah chuckled. "Good call."

The group moved outside the complex. Zondra climb on her bike, waiting for Carina, who was still saying her goodbyes. Everybody hid their smirks when Casey gave her a handshake. When she got to Sarah, they stared at each other for a few seconds. Sarah had the feeling that they were being watched closely, and that everyone took a deep breath when Carina threw her arm around Sarah.

"Take care, Walker," she said. "I'll call you so we can do this again."

Sarah nodded, and said goodbye to her ex-partners, wishing them luck in Vegas. They didn't need it. Gambling wouldn't be a priority, Sarah knew by experience. Chuck came to hug Sarah from behind, and they all watched the CATs ride away in silence—maybe, making sure that they were gone. Sarah noted that she'd been right to think that Carina in a dress on that bike made for an interesting view.

"Well, we should go, too," Morgan said. "We're late."

"You made plans for the afternoon?" Ellie asked.

"My friend Lydia's in town," Alex said. She checked her watch. "And she must already be waiting for us. It's never good to leave her alone for too long."

"Casey, you're leaving too?" Chuck asked when the NSA agent trudged to his Crown Vic. "Don't tell me you got a call from Beckman?"

"Nah," Casey said. "I'm going to Castle and spend some quality time with Betty."

"Have fun!"

Chuck kissed Sarah's temple as he, Devon, Ellie, and Sarah were left alone. "So, you and Carina buried the hatchet?" he asked.

"Mhmm," Sarah said.

"Good."

The four survivors found themselves settling back around the Woodcomb dinner table.

"I'm spent!" Devon said. "I mean, I was warned, but man, those two really are party animals!"

Chuck laughed. "That they are."

"We made it, though," Ellie said. She humored Devon by exchanging a high five, before glancing at Sarah.

Sarah grinned. "We did."

"Let's not do that again too soon, though, right?" Devon said.

Nods were exchanged.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Ellie asked. Sarah shared another look with her, and they apparently had the same idea, but it wouldn't be for another handful of hours. Unless…

"I was thinking about going to the beach this afternoon," Sarah said. "What do you think? It should be nice with this heat wave around."

The three other people in the room suddenly looked at each other, perplexed.

"Um, honey," Chuck said. "What heat wave?"

**Fin.**


End file.
